Oklahoma Sooners linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] is receiving plenty of recognition ahead of his senior season. Multiple award watch lists, preseason all-conference teams, and more have put him squarely in the public eye before the season officially starts.
On Wednesday, Stutsman received two more honors as both ESPN and CBS Sports released their preseason All-American picks. The senior was a first-teamer according to both sites.
Stutsman was the only Sooner to make either list, with ESPN placing him alongside LSU‘s Harold Perkins and Clemson‘s Barrett Carter on the first-team defense at linebacker. Here’s what ESPN had to say about OU’s emotional leader:
Few linebackers in college football possess the experience, production and playmaking ability of Stutsman, whose return for his senior season was huge for an OU defense looking for more consistency as the Sooners move to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. The 6-4, 241-pound Stutsman has racked up 26.5 tackles for loss his past two seasons (19 for loss or no gain last year), and he led the Sooners with 104 total tackles. – Chris Low, ESPN.
At CBS Sports, Stutsman and Perkins again made the first team, but Carter was replaced by Iowa‘s Jay Higgins.
Clearly, Stutsman is believed to be one of the best linebackers in the country by the national media, something Oklahoma hasn’t had in a long time. Third-year head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and first-year defensive coordinator/linebackers coach [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] have a productive, veteran presence to lead the way in 2024 in the middle of their defense.
That will be crucial as OU enters the toughest conference in college football and tries to navigate their difficult schedule to make the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] this season.
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