The Sooners will leave for El Paso Saturday morning and spend five days preparing for the Sun Bowl on site. Stoops said the team will attend all bowl related functions and players will get the usual amount of free time.
But all of it better be in the United States.
"Everybody cuts their players loose to some degree and we're no different than anybody else," Stoops said. "Mexico, that won't be an option this year. I'd like to have a few of my players ready to play."
Reynolds denied
Middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds' appeal to the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility has been denied. The appeal exhausted the process for the injury-plagued fifth-year senior, leaving the Sun Bowl as his final game as a Sooner.
Friendly flight
Stoops and Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh have already held a joint press conference in El Paso. But it wasn't the first time the Sun Bowl coaches met. By coincidence, they flew to the press conference on the same flight.
"It was pretty neat. We both were in Houston recruiting and flew to El Paso together on a Southwest flight early in the morning the day of our press conference," Stoops said. "We sat together and talked the whole way. It was great to get to know him and he's doing a great job."
Vinson will transfer
Stoops announced junior offensive linemen Jeff Vinson has decided to transfer and is no longer with the team. Vinson, a junior college transfer, did not play this season.
"He's had some injury and feels he has a better opportunity somewhere else to be able to handle his injury and still play," Stoops said.
John Shinn 366-3536 jshinn@normantranscript.com
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