Why I left the NFL for SoonerScoop

When I graduated from OU in 2020, I had a plan.

I knew what I wanted to do and it wasn’t returning to Oklahoma. At least, not this quickly. I wanted to cover the NFL. That was the dream and I accomplished that, covering the Denver Broncos for the Denver Gazette for the past three years.

Plans and dreams change, though.

I quickly realized that while covering the Broncos was a pretty sweet gig, I missed college football. The tradition and the pageantry, the ridiculous recruiting stories and the win-centric coaches, the promising, young athletes and the passionate fanbases who root for them. I think when you grow up in a place like Oklahoma, OU football is professional football.

And I missed home. I was born and raised in Oklahoma. Almost my entire family attended OU. My parents met at O’Connell’s in the 80s. My dad played for Barry Switzer and has been a season ticket holder since 1990. And covered the team nearly my entire college career at the OU Daily, writing about three College Football Playoff appearances and two Heisman Trophy winners. Oklahoma football is something, in my opinion, I know as well as anyone.

So, for me, joining SoonerScoop is as much a personal decision as it is a professional one. And I know some might think I’m crazy for leaving a major metropolitan newspaper covering one of the NFL’s most popular teams to now cover Oklahoma for SoonerScoop.com.

But this was a no-brainer for me.

I’m not sure there’s been a more intriguing time to cover Oklahoma in my lifetime. The media access has never been better and the impending move to the SEC in 2024 means only more national exposure. But most importantly, the reason this was the right move is because I believe in the leadership and future of SoonerScoop.

Journalism is ever-evolving and SoonerScoop continues to be ahead of the curve with a digital-first mindset and a strong social media presence in an industry that is often stubborn to adapt. Carey has built — and is continuing to build — a media empire. For the past 20-plus years, they’ve been the premier site covering OU football, and I couldn’t be more honored to join an already star-studded staff with Carey, Josh, Eddie and Bob — each of whom I’ve admired as journalists, radio hosts and local influencers from a distance. It's an exciting time to work for SoonerScoop, with big future plans for the website and the new office on Campus Corner — stay tuned.

As for what you can expect from me, my goal is to provide coverage of the team that no one else in this market offers. From feature stories to new podcasts to breaking news to in-depth game analysis, and much more. I’ll be creative in my storytelling and diligent in my reporting. And above all, I’ll strive to serve SoonerScoop subscribers in an engaging and meaningful way with the hope of providing informed coverage.

So, with that said… SoonerScoop, let’s ride.