Boz 2.0: Danny Stutsman is all set to be Oklahoma’s next

Dave Wilson, ESPN Personnel WriterDec 28, 2023, 08:00 AM ET Close Dave Wilson is an editor for ESPN.com since 2010. He previously operated at The Dallas Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and Las Vegas Sun.THE BLEACH BLONDE Oklahoma linebacker with the ever-changing hairdos hops in his Corvette convertible in his fur coat, driving home one more arrogant statement in a crimson and cream career.Oh, and Brian Bosworth is there, too.This isn’t a scene from

1986. Rather, it was just weeks back, in a video

including Bosworth tossing a set of secrets to junior linebacker Danny Stutsman, wearing Barry Switzer’s famous mink, in a metaphorical passing of the torch to another cocksure Sooners star. Stutsman was announcing that he would be bypassing a possibility to go into the NFL draft and instead would lead OU into the SEC.I’M NOT LEAVING. pic.twitter.com/FfCIy23Q9W-DannyStutsman(@FbStutsman)December 11, 2023 The Sooners junior

broke out as a star on and off the field this year, with his animated take on celebrations– and there have been a lot of tackles– to support his intense inspirational speeches, including one that instantly became an all-time OU favorite.So when it came time to discover a model, he didn’t need to look too far to discover Bosworth, who maintains strong ties to the OU program.”He’s undoubtedly a coach for a guy like myself.

[ I want] to be able to take in as much as he offers me, “Stutsman stated earlier this year.

“I wish to take all that in. He’s a high-personality man however he backed it up on the field.” Now, given that announcing his return in the aforementioned video that signed off with”SEC, see you soon,”Stutsman is the undoubted leader for Oklahoma heading into Thursday’s Valero Alamo Bowl( 9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App), when the No. 12 Sooners deal with No. 14 Arizona.There will be a new quarterback, Jackson Arnold, under center after this season’s starter, Dillon Gabriel transferred to Oregon. There will be

a new offending coordinator, Seth Littrell, after Jeff Lebby left to end up being the head coach at Mississippi State. In lots of methods, the Alamo Bowl will offer a sneak peek of the Sooners ‘very first SEC team. It’ll also be an opportunity for Stutsman to complete a rebound season and lead his team into a brand-new age. And he’s made notice of his coach and acting collaborator, Bosworth.”It was passing the torch on to the next excellent generation of linebackers,”said Bosworth, who won two Butkus awards in the mid-1980s.

“I’m simply happy that he even understands who I am.” AP Photo/Nate Billings STUTSMAN WAS ALLhowever gone a couple of weeks back

. Reports distributed that he had alerted Sooners coach Brent Venables he was headed for the NFL. He confirmed that in an interview with press reporters after he revealed his return, saying his locker had been cleared out and that OU had actually currently deactivated his building access. Even his katana– a Japanese sword he obviously kept in his locker– was gone, he said.His change of mind wasn’t driven by some sort of last-minute recalculation– Stutsman said he hadn’t yet received his draft grade– but rather a possibility to finish school alongside his colleagues, most especially protectors Ethan Downs and Billy Bowman Jr., who were both in his recruiting class. In a hard new conference, Stutsman would have another possibility to show himself. And the Sooners require him too. Bosworth stated in the SEC, “you need linebackers that are instinctive, can play man defense … you desire someone who can be found in there and fill a f– ing space. “”The advantage about Danny is he’s a sponge,”Bosworth stated.”He wishes to get better. He is starving for it. He listens. He hears but more than that he does.” So the NFL can wait. That’s significant due to the fact that Stutsman is not actually a fan of waiting.His dad, Steve, can vouch for that. A

former star professional athlete himself, he constantly coached his kids, starting with his earliest, Sabrina

, who eventually played softball on Florida State’s 2018 championship game team.But his boy was various. Coaching young Danny presented its difficulties, particularly in noncontact sports. Steve was a track star maturing in East Texas

and played football at Baylor, a pass-catching tight end ahead of his time. Danny got his father’s wheels, but had absolutely no interest in track.”He didn’t like waiting around throughout the day for his events,” Steve said.Baseball was even worse.” If he didn’t go 4-for-4 with four crowning achievement it was an absolutely bad day, “Steve said.

“If he didn’t start out every batter, he just couldn’t handle it.

He just doesn’t accept failure that way. I informed him,’Dude, you’re out. You’re going to football, a sport where you don’t have time to dwell on failure. You need to handle it right then and proceed.'”He prospered in the environment, becoming a speedy linebacker at Structure Academy in Winter Garden, Florida, where his mom and dad, who met as athletes at Baylor– she was a point guard on the

basketball team– had moved after college because Stutsman’s mommy, Susy, initially from Puerto Rico, thought Texas was too cold.Danny welcomed the idea of handling it and moving on. He was the first OU devote during the COVID-19 season of 2020, making his pledge without ever checking out school. Stutsman was there for Lincoln Riley’s departure for USC, along with all the coaches who recruited and signed him. He was there for Venables’very first season in 2015, which ended with a 6-7 record and a loss in the Cheez-It Bowl. And he was there for a bounce-back 10-2 season this year, but Stutsman missed out on 6 of the eight quarters in those 2 losses, unable to assist the Sooners.VENABLES DIDN’T Indication Stutsman and Stutsman didn’t know what to anticipate from Venables.The coach has told a story numerous times about his very first couple of days back in Norman, when he kept waiting on his star linebacker to seek him out and ask him for a playbook. Ultimately, he decided to state something.”I saw him in the corridor like,’You know, one thing I’ve noticed about you? You didn’t turn up and ask for a playbook. That’s weeeeeird.’ “Venables said, stretching it out for result.” ‘Call me insane. But this is my expectation.’ “It ended up being a tone-setter for the season, a story that makes Stutsman recoil now, just since he believes it’s overblown. But that difficult love start resulted in a close relationship between Stutsman and Venables.”I resemble 18, a freshman in college, “Stutsman said. “Obviously, when he got here, I didn’t know what to do. Male, I’m sorry, I didn’t understand everything. My bad. Coach V came here, saw it and fixed it. “In Stutsman’s freshman season, he made 38 takes on and required 2 fumbles in 10 games. His sideline-to-sideline speed was apparent, but Bosworth was struck by how naturally Stutsman streamed to the ball.”There were some impulses there that were something that just the blessed and talented get,

“Bosworth said.”It was simply a matter of whether he’s going to deal with those.”Enter the famously extreme Venables, who had actually been an overachiever as a junior college product and walk-on linebacker at Kansas State in the early

1990s before becoming one of the most highly regarded defensive coaches in the country at Oklahoma and Clemson. “We both kind of required each other,”Venables said.”

I required him to be among our stalwarts on defense, one of our leaders, a pillar if we were going to be any excellent on defense. I required him to truly purchase into the preparation part of it. “But things didn’t go as prepared in Year 1, with the Sooners having a hard time on defense and finishing with their very first losing season since 1998. Venables said he examined whatever in the offseason, tweaking practice formats, nixing film nights before 11 a.m. games, even moving his coaches’ program taping to allow practice to end up earlier. In

short, he was willing to adjust, however he needed his players to also. Stutsman, however, had been a brilliant spot. He purchased in, and led the Big 12 with 126 tackles(10.5 for a loss), three sacks, 2 interceptions and seven passes defensed. “I seem like me and Coach Venables are kind of opposites in ways,”Stutsman stated.” He’s super major and I’m a bit more chilled out.”It worked. Venables got Stutsman to dial it in, and Stutsman got Venables to relax. It’s the exact same thing Stutsman’s high school coach, Brad Lord, could remember.”I’m a little old-fashioned in some cases and I’m ripping them at practice. And he goes,’Coach Lord, what’s up?'” Lord said, in a slow, high-pitched tone.”

I just got ta start chuckling, the method he stated it. No disrespect. He knew the temperature of the group and he knew me well as a coach.

“It’s the sort of yin and yang that can affect a whole locker space. “Danny was the perfect prospect to be the facilitator of Brent’s message to the rest of the group, “Bosworth said.THIS SEASON, STUTSMAN began speaking out. Dan Cody, a star linebacker under Venables in Norman in the early 2000s

, informed Stutsman he needed to fill the void whenever the space got quiet. Other Sooners greats like Teddy Lehman and Gabe Ikard pushed him. Bosworth spoke to the group in preseason and Stutsman asked to hang afterward.It’s been a surreal experience for Stutsman, who admires all the Sooners linebacking legends.”Even the truth that I get kind of thought about because conversation is disrespectful to them,”Stutsman said.”I’m a keeper of the space. They’ve used the same jerseys as I place on. So whenever I wear it I want to be considerate for all the hard work they put in, all

the sweat equity, and simply sort of live up to that standard.”Previously this year, Stutsman was captured on video providing a pregame speech to his colleagues before they dealt with the Longhorns: “I’m certain about two things in [expletive] life: I’m particular that, one, Oklahoma just fears God, and No. 2, Texas fears Oklahoma.” He says he didn’t know he was being recorded, and that he didn’t practice the speech. It was all from the heart, in the minute. Once the speech was released on social media, it became a new entry into Red River Competition lore. In a financially rewarding NIL contract,

a local business, Opolis, made Tee shirts with a postgame photo of Stutsman smoking a cigar at his locker while wearing sunglasses autographed by Bosworth, with the quote on

the back. It was their most significant seller ever.He even got Venables to use one.Oklahoma LB Danny Stutsman got coach Brent Venables to rock a “TEXAS FEARS OKLAHOMA “shirt (via @DannyStutsman)pic.twitter.com/GyQsBj1gvC -ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB)October 12, 2023 It was an uncommon show of blowing from his coach, however Venables said the event merited it.” I’m kind of a ‘let your success be your sound’guy,” Venables stated.”If Danny didn’t work so hard, if he wasn’t enthusiastic, if he didn’t exceed and beyond to do extra all the time, I would not be OK with him

. He’s a huge character, however it’s not a show. He’s actually pretty funny. If he was ridiculous with no

work, we ‘d have a tough time getting along. He’s major about being an excellent player. That’s what I have actually got amazing gratitude and respect for. I enjoy Danny’s personality. I don’t understand if he’s always been humble,

but I think he’s got great humbleness. “That doesn’t mean Stutsman hasn’t been able to encourage Venables to let him design his hair in one of Stutman’s more flamboyant styles, from his braids to the blonde mop-top look he has shared sometimes with his linebacking partner(and fake Horns Down tattoo co-conspirator ), Jaren Kanak.Danny Stutsman stated after practice today that these are fake. I asked Brent Venables about them and he stated,”I have actually got enough to fret about … They need to get their hair repaired first.” #Sooners https://t.co/2emLnAAksr-George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia)October 10, 2023″ Stuts ‘cuts,”

Venables said.”I respectfully declined.” However on the field, Stutsman did once again lead the group in tackles with 99 in 11 games, including 16 tackles for loss and three sacks.His absence was felt after he went out with an ankle injury in the 2nd half of the Kansas game (a 38-33 loss)and when he missed out on all of the last Chaos game, a 27-24 defeat to Oklahoma State.”When he returned, the elevation of feeling returned and they played much better,” Bosworth said.Stutsman stated he’s got simply one objective from here on out: “Tackle individuals.”He’s got a mentor in The Boz, who may even envy Stutsman’s NIL capabilities. He’s got an opportunity to play his senior season in the

SEC and become an even larger name. He’s got a coach who is pressing

him to become even greater. All of it starts Thursday night in the new-look Sooners ‘championship game.”He’s had significant growth,” Venables stated.

“He’s a reflection of what I believe our defense remains in our program. He has this big ceiling. It’s still in front of him. Which’s amazing to me.”