Ep. 422 - OU's Defense Underrated? Plus John Mateer Would You Rather

The guys are back for a full summer reset as the 2026 college football season gets closer. The guys start with the three most interesting things about OU football in 2026, including whether Brent Venables’ Oklahoma defense can be even better this season, why the Sooners may be underrated nationally, the importance of John Mateer taking a step forward, and what to make of Oklahoma’s difficult SEC schedule. Then, Lee and Grant play a John Mateer “Would You Rather” quarterback game, comparing Oklahoma’s QB to several major names around college football, including Arch Manning, CJ Carr, Marcel Reed, Darian Mensah, Gunnar Stockton, Rocco Becht, Connor Weigman, Kevin Jennings, Sam Leavitt and more. Later, the guys hit on Owen Heinecke’s preliminary injunction before diving into the wild Brendan Sorsby gambling/NCAA/Texas Tech/Big 12 situation, what it says about NCAA enforcement power, and why courts are becoming such a major part of modern college football. The episode wraps with thoughts on OU baseball winning the national championship and how the Sooners got hot at the perfect time. West of Everest is an Oklahoma football podcast hosted by Lee Benson and Grant Benson. Chapters / Timecodes 00:00 — Intro: West of Everest is back 04:50 — Ratings, reviews, and growing the show 05:30 — Top 3 most interesting things about OU football in 2026 06:00 — Why OU’s defense may be underrated nationally 10:00 — David Stone, Kip Lewis, Owen Heinecke and Oklahoma’s defensive ceiling 11:20 — Comparing Brent Venables’ OU defense to his Clemson defenses 15:35 — OU player ratings, David Stone hype, and Kip Lewis appreciation 21:00 — John Mateer, Ben Arbuckle and Oklahoma’s offensive continuity 23:00 — Running back room concerns: Xavier Robinson, Tory Blaylock, Lloyd Avant and Deland McCullough 27:10 — Can tight ends really fix Oklahoma’s run game? 28:25 — Oklahoma’s 2026 win total and brutal SEC schedule 30:35 — Michigan, Georgia, Texas and OU’s season-defining early stretch 35:15 — John Mateer “Would You Rather” quarterback game begins 37:30 — John Mateer or Connor Weigman? 39:35 — John Mateer or Kevin Jennings? 41:10 — John Mateer or CJ Carr? 43:30 — John Mateer or Josh Hoover? 46:40 — John Mateer or Marcel Reed? 48:15 — John Mateer or Sam Leavitt? 51:10 — John Mateer or Darian Mensah? 57:00 — John Mateer or Gunnar Stockton? 59:30 — John Mateer or Rocco Becht? 01:01:10 — John Mateer or Arch Manning? this season, why the Sooners may be underrated nationally, the importance of John Mateer taking a step forward, and what to make of Oklahoma’s difficult SEC schedule. Then, Lee and Grant play a John Mateer “Would You Rather” quarterback game, comparing Oklahoma’s QB to several major names around college football, including Arch Manning, CJ Carr, Marcel Reed, Darian Mensah, Gunnar Stockton, Rocco Becht, Connor Weigman, Kevin Jennings, Sam Leavitt and more. Later, the guys hit on Owen Heinecke’s preliminary injunction before diving into the wild Brendan Sorsby gambling/NCAA/Texas Tech/Big 12 situation, what it says about NCAA enforcement power, and why courts are becoming such a major part of modern college football. The episode wraps with thoughts on OU baseball winning the national championship and how the Sooners got hot at the perfect time. West of Everest is an Oklahoma football podcast hosted by Lee Benson and Grant Benson. Chapters / Timecodes 00:00 — Intro: West of Everest is back 04:50 — Ratings, reviews, and growing the show 05:30 — Top 3 most interesting things about OU football in 2026 06:00 — Why OU’s defense may be underrated nationally 10:00 — David Stone, Kip Lewis, Owen Heinecke and Oklahoma’s defensive ceiling 11:20 — Comparing Brent Venables’ OU defense to his Clemson defenses 15:35 — OU player ratings, David Stone hype, and Kip Lewis appreciation 21:00 — John Mateer, Ben Arbuckle and Oklahoma’s offensive continuity 23:00 — Running back room concerns: Xavier Robinson, Tory Blaylock, Lloyd Avant and Dylan McCullough 27:10 — Can tight ends really fix Oklahoma’s run game? 28:25 — Oklahoma’s 2026 win total and brutal SEC schedule 30:35 — Michigan, Georgia, Texas and OU’s season-defining early stretch 35:15 — John Mateer “Would You Rather” quarterback game begins 37:30 — John Mateer or Connor Weigman? 39:35 — John Mateer or Kevin Jennings? 41:10 — John Mateer or CJ Carr? 43:30 — John Mateer or Josh Hoover? 46:40 — John Mateer or Marcel Reed? 48:15 — John Mateer or Sam Leavitt? 51:10 — John Mateer or Darian Mensah? 57:00 — John Mateer or Gunnar Stockton? 59:30 — John Mateer or Rocco Becht? 01:03:55 — Notable other QBs around the nation 01:11:00 — Brady Trantham’s wild OU rushing stat 01:13:00 — Owen Heinecke preliminary injunction discussion 01:14:15 — The UNC Charlotte example that may have helped Heinecke’s case 01:17:40 — Grant’s view: Heinecke was probably always getting the injunction 01:18:40 — Brendan Sorsby discussion begins 01:19:45 — Sorsby timeline: gambling investigation, NCAA ruling, injunction and Big 12 response 01:21:50 — NFL Supplemental Draft and CFL fallout for Sorsby 01:23:00 — Courts, NCAA rules and the “toothless NCAA” debate 01:45:20 — New NCAA eligibility rule lawsuits and where this could be headed 01:46:35 — OU baseball wins the national championship 01:47:40 — How OU baseball got hot at the perfect time 01:51:50 — OU baseball’s title as a potential curse-breaker 01:54:35 — Closing: follow West of Everest on YouTube, X, Instagram and Facebook