EVEN A coach decked out in crimson and cream can sometimes talk until he is blue in the face without getting through to his players.

That's why Bob Stoops recruited a former Sooner this spring to address a subject Stoops has stressed repeatedly in the decade he has been in charge of Oklahoma's football program.

The player: Dan Cody. The topic: graduating.

Cody did more than just talk the talk. The Ada native walked it during OU's graduation ceremonies Saturday when he received his Sociology degree.

Four seasons after he played his final game at OU, the 27-year-old Cody completed the unfinished education business he had left behind. He dropped out of school when the Baltimore Ravens selected him in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Cody had some familiar company when he picked up his diploma. Among the 22 football players who graduated yesterday was Cody's former teammate and classmate, Jammal Brown.

The 28-year old Brown, who received a degree in Multidisciplinary Studies, also completed his playing career in 2004. A few months later, the Lawton native became the first offensive lineman selected when the New Orleans Saints selected him in the first round as the 13th overall pick.

"Those two guys," Stoops said in a telephone interview, "I can't