Tag: Danny Stutsman

Linebacker Oklahoma’s biggest strength heading into 2022 according to ESPN

Looking ahead to 2022, ESPN’s Chris Low argues that linebacker is the strength of the new-look Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the midst of a transition. It’s arguably the first one that’s taken place since Bob Stoops took over for John Blake in the late 90s. While they experienced a coaching change going from Stoops to Lincoln Riley, the 2017 was pretty much set before Bob suddenly retired and handed the keys to the kingdom over to Riley.

Now, with Riley’s departure and those that left in the transfer portal, Brent Venables and his staff are having to retool the roster and remake it in his image. One could argue they’re getting more defensive, specifically adding bulk to the interior and big, fast, athletic linebackers to the second level. It isn’t so much about simply speed, but about being stout at the point of attack and letting his athletic linebackers run and hit. And it’s that linebacker corp that looks like a major strength heading into 2022.

According to ESPN’s Chris Low, looking ahead to 2022, it’s the linebackers that appear to be the Sooners greatest strength.

The Oklahoma roster will look almost completely different in 2022 under first-year coach Brent Venables, which includes having to replace six starters on defense. But the Sooners still feel good about their talent on the defensive side of the ball, particularly their depth at linebacker. Senior DaShaun White is returning for a fifth season after collecting a career-high 60 tackles a year ago. Senior David Ogwoegbu started at middle linebacker in the Alamo Bowl and returns along with junior Shane Whitter and sophomore Danny Stutsman, who showed great promise as a freshman last season but missed part of the year with an injury. In addition, Clemson transfer Jaren Kanak has the size and speed to be a hybrid-type player for the Sooners. Venables recruited Kanak to Clemson, and Kanak’s speed makes him a natural in Venables’ defense. – Low

Throw in Kobie McKinzie and Kip Lewis and the Sooners have an incredibly deep group of players that could contribute in 2022 under Brent Venables and defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Ted Roof.

White and Ogwoegbu will be the leaders at the position and likely play the most, but don’t sleep on Stutsman and Whitter to provide significant snaps for the Sooners. T.D. Roof, who transferred in from Appalachian State provides another experienced player to a group that lost Brian Asamoah to the NFL draft.

He mentions Jaren Kanak as a transfer, but the incoming freshman was one of the more significant recruiting flips of the 2022 recruiting class. His size and speed could provide a tremendous boost in certain situations even if he doesn’t work his way onto the field for a full snap count. Particularly as a special teams player, a guy like Kanak could make a significant contribution in year one.

While the rest of the roster seemed to take hits to their depth, the linebackers stacked talent on the depth chart through the 2022 recruiting class and the transfer portal with a guy like T.D. Roof.

It’s as deep a position group as there is for the 2022 Oklahoma Sooners and that group is deep for the future as well. If the defensive front looks as stout as it should with the additions of Jonah Laulu and Jeffrey Johnson, added to an already impressive Jalen Redmond, the linebackers should have a blast running free and chasing down ball carriers.

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‘Unfinished Business’: DaShaun White returning to the Oklahoma Sooners for the 2022 season

After losing 6 defensive starters, the Oklahoma Sooners got some good news with DaShaun White’s decision to return for the 2922 season.

The Oklahoma Sooners have seen a ton of turnover this off-season, particularly on the defensive side of the ball where they’ve lost six starters (5 to the NFL, 1 grad transfer). At the same time, the Sooners are bringing in an entirely new defensive staff.

With Brian Asamoah one of the NFL draft declarations, the Sooners lost a veteran leader and one of their more important second level defenders. The Oklahoma Sooners have options to replace him, but thankfully they won’t have to replace both of their starting linebackers heading into 2022.

DaShaun White announced via social media that he’s got “unfinished business” and will be with the Sooners for the 2022 season.

White returns to the Sooners after a nice 2021 season. He set career highs in tackles with 60 after playing in 12 games for Oklahoma. Over four seasons, he’s played in 41 games (five his freshman season). With 4.5 tackles he was half a tackle shy of his 2020 total, which is a career high for White.

DaShaun White returns to a linebacker room that is as deep as any position on the Oklahoma Sooners heading into 2022. David Ugwoegbu, Shane Whittier, and Danny Stutsman figure to lead the way for the Sooners linebacker corps that will be joined by 2022 freshmen Kobie McKinzie, Jaren Kanak, and Kip Lewis.

As a fifth-year senior White will be the unquestioned leader on the defense, taking over for Caleb Kelly who graduated and is entering life after football.

With the departure of Asamoah to the NFL, having DaShaun White return is huge for continuity as the Sooners welcome new faces into the locker room and on the coaching staff.

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Oklahoma Sooners land commitment from Appalachian State linebacker T.D. Roof via the transfer portal

The Oklahoma Sooners land a commitment from Appalachian State linebacker T.D. Roof, the son of co-defensive coordinator Ted Roof.

As the days continue to roll on, so does the transfer portal for the Oklahoma Sooners. In a move that only solidifies a stout linebacker room, linebacker T.D. Roof of Appalachian State announced via his Twitter account that he’s committed to the Sooners.

If the last name made you raise an eyebrow, it’s probably because Roof is the son of the Sooners’ new defensive coordinator Ted Roof. T.D will join the Sooners as a grad transfer, who began his career at Georgia Tech, playing eight games and recording 17 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and two sacks in 2017. In 2018, eight games for the Indiana Hoosiers, recording 39 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and one sack. He sat out the 2019 season because he again transferred, this time to Appalachian State. In two seasons with Appalachian State, he totaled 86 total tackles, including 67 in 2021 for the Sun Belt champs. Last year he also recorded 10 tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.

Defense & Fumbles Table
Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack Def Def Def Def Fumb
Year School Conf G Solo Ast Tot Loss Sk Int Yds Avg PD FF
2017 Georgia Tech ACC 8 15 2 17 2.0 2.0 0 0 0 0
2018 Indiana Big Ten 8 30 9 39 4.0 1.0 0 0 0 0
*2020 Appalachian State Sun Belt 8 8 11 19 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
*2021 Appalachian State Sun Belt 13 41 26 67 10.0 3.0 2 100 50.0 1 1
Career Overall 94 48 142 16.0 6.0 2 100 50.0 1 1
Georgia Tech 15 2 17 2.0 2.0 0 0 0 0
Indiana 30 9 39 4.0 1.0 0 0 0 0
Appalachian State 49 37 86 10.0 3.0 2 100 50.0 1 1
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 1/7/2022.

He’s not an overly big linebacker but he has a lot of experience and has played in 45 career games.

Oklahoma marks the third different school where this father-son pairing will reunite as both were at Georgia Tech at the same time followed by their time spent with the Mountaineers in Boone, NC. Now they’ll continue to their time together as they join the Oklahoma Sooners with father Ted taking over the defensive coordinator job.

The Sooners have some intriguing names at the top of the depth chart with Danny Stutsman, David Ugwoegbu, DaShaun White, and Shane Whitter heading into 2022. This year’s recruiting class adds Kip Lewis, Kobie McKinzie, and Jaren Kanak providing a ton of young talent to a group that lost Brian Asamoah to the NFL draft. T.D. Roof brings experience and a veteran presence that should help provide leadership to a younger linebacker crew. As the coach’s son, he’ll be an asset bringing the rest of the linebacker room up to speed and will provide a playmaking ability when inserted into the lineup and on special teams.

Depth, production, and a veteran presence are never a bad thing to have in a locker room and T.D. Roof brings all three for the Sooners.

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Oklahoma Sooners to Watch in the Alamo Bowl with opt outs and transfer portal departures

The Sooners have already seen several departures due to opt-outs and transfers, but opportunities abound in the Alamo Bowl for others.

While it’s a bummer to see your favorite Oklahoma Sooners transfer or sit out the bowl game in preparation for the NFL draft, on the bright side, it provides others an opportunity to get more significant snaps.

Nik Bonitto, Perrion Winfrey, Isaiah Thomas and Brian Asamoah are heading to the NFL.

Jadon Haselwood, Austin Stogner and Spencer Rattler are on their way to new schools for the 2022 season.

In their places, the Sooners will reallocate those snaps to players who will help them in the Alamo Bowl and the 2022 season.

As the Sooners take on the Oregon Ducks, who are some players to watch given the departures from their depth chart in the last month.

Clemson insider puts in Crystal ball for four-star Tigers commit to land at Oklahoma

Four-Star athlete Jaren Kanak is predicted to land in Oklahoma according to a crystal ball prediction by Clemson insider.

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While the early signing period may be coming to a close soon, the Oklahoma Sooners are far from done. We chronicled some names that remain as possible targets for Oklahoma as they now focus their recruiting efforts on the official national signing day in February.

One of those names is Jaren Kanak, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound athlete out of Hays, Kansas. Since the summer, Kanak is rated as a four-star player with 247Sports and has been a Clemson commit. He committed to Clemson when Venables was there and planned to play linebacker. A lot of things have changed since the summer, with Venables making the move to Oklahoma.

The speculation that Kanak would follow Venables to Oklahoma has ramped up since Venables’ official introduction as the Sooners head coach. The first crystal ball projecting Kanak’s flip to the Sooners came in a day later and the rest has been hushed whispers of not why or how but when would Kanak take the leap.

Venables loosely mentioned in a press conference after the Sooners signed all but two of their commits that there were still some signees to come.

To add even more fuel to the fire, Anna Hickey of Clemson Insider put in a crystal ball of 7/10 confidence in Kanak to Oklahoma. That brings six total predictions that he will flip from Clemson to Oklahoma.

Oklahoma seems to be trending in the right direction for a talented kid with a very high ceiling and an athletic profile to match.

Given Venables’ track record of linebackers and molding them into sideline to sideline playmaking machines, adding a guy like Kanak to a room already filled with David Ugwoegbu, Danny Stutsman, DaShaun White, Shane Whitter, and soon to be Kip Lewis, and Kobie McKinzie could turn Oklahoma’s linebacker unit to one of the best position groups on the entire team.

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3 Oklahoma Sooners make ESPN’s true freshman All-America team

Quarterback Caleb Williams, wide receiver Mario Williams and linebacker Danny Stutsman all made ESPN’s true freshman All-America team.

Three Oklahoma players made the cut on ESPN’s true freshman All-America team. Here’s a look at who those players were and what ESPN’s analysts had to say about each.

Caleb Williams, quarterback

It’s no surprise. Williams has to be included in any list honoring true freshman in the 2021 season.

The Washington, D.C., native finished his regular season passing for 1,670 yards and 18 touchdowns against just four interceptions.

In the Sooners’ most recent game against Oklahoma State, Williams finished with 252 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also flashed his dual-threat ability again, racing 56 yards in the game’s final minute before OU was stopped on downs.

Williams recorded touchdown runs of 66, 41, 40 and 74 yards against Texas, TCU, Kansas and Iowa State, respectively.

ESPN’s Tom Luginbill wrote this about Williams.

Williams beat out a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate midway through the season, and while he was inconsistent at times, his overall level of play at a marquee position was fantastic. He can beat defenses with his arm or legs, is very dynamic and has amazing leadership qualities. Williams has an extremely bright future in Norman. – Luginbill, ESPN

ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren had this to say about Williams’ play in his first season starting.

Williams replaced then-starter Spencer Rattler early in the season and never looked back. He finished the season with 1,670 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also had 408 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Rattler has since entered the transfer portal, and Williams is the starter going forward. – VanHaaren, ESPN

After Lincoln Riley’s departure to become USC’s head coach, there’s been plenty of speculation about whether or not Williams will in fact be the Sooners’ starting quarterback in the future.

There’s no update yet on what Williams’ future plans are, but he’s shown he can be a star in college football and Oklahoma’s immediate future under new head coach Brent Venables shines brighter if Williams elects to stay in Norman.

Mario Williams, wide receiver

Mario Williams finished his true freshman season with 347 receiving yards on 33 receptions and four touchdown grabs. The Tampa, Fla., product entered Oklahoma as a four-star recruit and his inaugural season has not disappointed.

The 5-foot-9, 186 pound wide receiver had his best performance of the season against Texas Tech. Williams pulled in five receptions for 100 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown grab versus the Red Raiders.

Luginbill reflected on Williams’ first season in Norman.

Though his projection dipped the last few games, Williams lived up to our preseason selection and projection. His intangibles have played the biggest role in his early success. He was fourth on the team in receptions and is effective underneath, thanks to excellent awareness as a route runner and quickness after the catch. – Luginbill, ESPN

Danny Stutsman, linebacker

Danny Stutsman played in nine of the Sooners’ 12 games this season and finished the regular season with the 11th-most tackles on the team. The 6-foot-3, 229 pound linebacker registered 31 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack and a pair of forced fumbles.

The Windermere, Fla., linebacker figures to be a big part of Oklahoma’s future defensively under new head coach Brent Venables.

Luginbill broke down what he saw from Stutsman during his freshman season.

The former three-star prospect was a strong contributor for the Sooners despite battling through an injury. Stutsman has shown strong instincts and good range in sideline-to-sideline production. – Luginbill, ESPN

Stutsman has also become a fan favorite and social media phenom off the gridiron for Oklahoma.

With Asamoah opting out of the Valero Alamo Bowl, Stutsman might earn his first start at Oklahoma.

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9 Oklahoma Sooners named to All-Big 12 teams

Jeremiah Hall and Michael Turk earned All-Big 12 First Team honors, while seven other Sooners earned All-Big 12 Second Team recognition.

Tight end/H-back Jeremiah Hall and punter Michael Turk earned All-Big 12 First Team honors, while seven other Oklahoma Sooners were recognized on the All-Big 12 Second Team.

Hall finished the 2021 regular season with 30 receptions for 320 yards with four receiving touchdowns. The Charlotte, N.C., native also had a rushing touchdown against Kansas State.

Turk averaged 51.3 yards per punt and downed 15 of his 33 punts inside the 20-yard-line. Nineteen of Turk’s 33 punts traveled at least 50 yards and eight went for at least 60 yards. Turk recorded five of the top 14 single-game punting averages in Oklahoma history, including the best and third-best marks against TCU (59.7) and Texas (58.0).

Linebacker Brian Asamoah, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, kicker Gabe Brkic, offensive lineman Marquis Hayes, defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas, safety Delarrin Turner-Yell and defensive lineman Perrion Winfrey represented the seven OU players chosen to the All-Big 12 Second Team.

Asamoah leads the Sooners with 89 tackles and has recorded four tackles for loss to go along with one sack.

Bonitto has recorded 39 tackles and owns the Sooners’ team-lead with 15 tackles for loss. The redshirt junior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., also has seven sacks.

Brkic has connected on 18-of-24 field goal tries, including five from 50-plus yards with a pair from 56 yards out against Tulane and Western Carolina.

Hayes helped anchor an Oklahoma offense that averaged a Big 12 best 38.4 points per game and has started all 36 games in which he has played over the past three seasons.

Thomas ended his regular season by leading Oklahoma in sacks with eight. The Tulsa native also has 11.5 tackles for loss and 38 tackles overall.

Turner-Yell had a team-high three interceptions. He also recorded 47 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.

Winfrey was the final All-Big 12 Second Team selection from Oklahoma. The Maywood, Ill., product has 11 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and notched a pair of quarterback hurries.

Safety Pat Fields, defensive back Key Lawrence, wide receiver Marvin Mims, offensive lineman Chris Murray, offensive lineman Tyrese Robinson, wide receiver Drake Stoops, linebacker Danny Stutsman, quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Michael Woods earned honorable mention recognition.

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Best Pro Football Focus Grades from Oklahoma’s win over Texas Tech

How did Pro Football Focus grade the Oklahoma Sooners in their 52-21 win over Texas Tech?

With their win on Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners moved to 9-0 on the season and are well situated to make their annual “Championship November” run to the Big 12 championship.

With their toughest games on the schedule still to be played, Oklahoma will need to come out of the bye ready to play their best football of the season. If their performance vs. Texas Tech was any indication, they might be on the verge of streaking into December, a trip to Arlington, and hopefully a chance at the national title in the College Football Playoff.

The Sooners played a complete game in their 52-21 win over the Red Raiders and received standout performances from several players on both sides of the football.

Like we do each week, let’s take a look at how Pro Football Focus graded the Oklahoma Sooners in the win.

7 Bold Predictions for the Oklahoma Sooners matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks

As the Oklahoma Sooners look to extend their 16-game winning streak over the Kansas Jayhawks, here are 7 Bold Predictions for Saturday.

Heading into the Oklahoma Sooners matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks, the most important question has been answered. The Sooners know who they’re quarterback is and based on the way Caleb Williams has played in his first extended run leading the way for Oklahoma, it’s unlikely he’ll cede that spot anytime soon.

That said, there are still questions for Oklahoma as they work through the 2021 season.

With injuries in the secondary and an unknown timetable for the return of Woodi Washington and Delarrin Turner-Yell, someone will need to answer the bell as defensive playmaker for the Sooners.

Offensively things have gone as well as can be expected the last two weeks as Caleb Williams has helped Oklahoma rediscover its big-play ability.

As the Sooners get set to take one the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence, Kansas this Saturday, let’s take a look at 7 Bold Predictions for this week’s game.

3 Sooners land on ESPN’s midseason All-True Freshman Team

Just after the midway point of the season, 3 Oklahoma Sooners land on ESPN’s midseason all-true freshman team.

Jumping out to a 7-0 record in 2021 hasn’t been an easy task for the Oklahoma Sooners. Five of their wins have come in one-score games. They’ve won defensive battles (Nebraska and West Virginia), held on to win (Tulane), won a back and forth matchup with Kansas State, before winning in comeback fashion against Texas. Their win over TCU wasn’t their largest point differential, but it is the most convincing win on the Oklahoma Sooners resume through the first five games of 2021.

At times it’s taken a total team effort and has required several true freshmen to step up and contribute, possibly before anyone expected.

Just after the midway point of 2021, ESPN’s Tom Luginbill and Tom VanHarren selected their all-true freshman team for the first half of the season. Oklahoma had three players selected to the squad.

Let’s take a look at who makes the team.

Up Next: A possible Heisman contender?

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