If you have followed a [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]-led defense the last decade you know just how dominant they’ve been. You also know just how important the linebacker play is for that defense as well.
[autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] is expected to be a key cog in Oklahoma’s improvement this year. Stutsman led the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] in tackles in 2022 which may surprise some because of how up and down he was.
However, he might have finished the season better than anyone else on the team. But now they need him to not only be the leader of the defense but they need him to lead the whole team.
Stutsman talked to reporters after practice on Monday and he said he’s excited for the pressure that is being put on the defense.
“Pressure forms diamonds,” Stutsman said. “All of the greats had pressure, and they all managed it. I want to be another one of those guys.”
There are many who think he can be one of those guys. Stutsman is someone who can become an all-American type of player. For a linebacker group as a whole, last year was very much up and down, but Stutsman feels he’s seeing a difference this season.
“Comparing last year and looking at it, with a new system, guys were kind of slow to pick things up,” Stutsman said. “Now that we’ve had guys who have been in the system a little bit and able to teach those younger guys, it makes the transition so much easier for those guys that are just now coming in.”
That is something that got lost in the shuffle a year ago. It was a new system for everyone and a complex one at that. That made it difficult for everyone to learn at a fast pace whereas this season you have players who can fill the void when coaches can’t be around the players.
That’s something several coaches have mentioned as an area Stutsman has taken the most growth. We’ve seen the potential on the field, and we are hearing about how much of a leader he’s become off of it, now it’s time to put it all together and help take this defense to another level.
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