Amani

Bledsoe

It’s always interesting to see players accept invites to these events, but Bledsoe’s acceptance might be the most interesting of all of them. Reason being, Bledsoe was suing the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility after he had one taken away from him from a suspension that stemmed from a PED violation. He took part in Senior Day activities against Kansas on November 16, as well, and this confirms that the 6-foot-5, 287-pound defender won’t be back with the Sooners.

Bledsoe is currently suing the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility after having a year taken away from him due to a suspension that stems from a PED violation. There’s been no conclusion to the lawsuit, but it’s entirely possible Saturday’s game against the Jayhawks will be his last home game for the Sooners.

Oklahoma, itself, has not confirmed the reason for Bledsoe’s troubles, here, only saying that the 6-foot-4, 266-pound freshman has been suspended indefinitely. Keegan reports that Bledsoe plans on appeal the NCAA’s decision in this case. Scout.com ranked him as the No. 23 defensive end prospect in the country for the 2016 cycle. To date, his statistical contributions have been minimal.

Bledsoe, a Kansas native, was also considering joining Big-12 outfits Kansas and Baylor, but Bob Stoops finally reeled him in on Thursday. The 6-foot-4, 266-pound recruit “terrorizes offenses with his first step ability combined with his superior strength and aggression,” according to Scout.com, with the website ranking him the No. 23 defensive end prospect in the country. This past season, he recorded 89 tackles and eight sacks for Lawrence High School. He pulled double duty, to boot, registering 40 pancake blocks on the offense line. All of this added up to a Sunflower League Player of the Year award when the dust settled.

“We’re going to get him out there. He’s going to be in the rotation, no question about that,” OU coach Lincoln Riley said. “After that, it will be just based on his production. If he continues to do what we’ve seen on the practice field, I would expect he would have a chance to be out there quite a bit for us.” Bledsoe is in the process of suing the NCAA to have his lost year of eligibility restored. The 6-foot-4, 266-pounder was a four-star recruit.