OU linebacker Danny Stutsman named first-team All-American by Walter Camp
The expectations for OU linebacker Danny Stutsman are sky-high in 2024.
Entering his final season in Norman, the senior linebacker was named a first-team preseason All-American on Wednesday by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. It’s likely the first of many preseason accolades that are coming Stutsman’s way, as preseason award season is upon us.
But these accolades are well-deserved. Stutsman is widely considered one of the best linebackers in college football heading into the 2024 season. He was first-team All-Big 12 last year, leading the Sooners in tackles (104) and tackles for loss (16). Many believed he was snubbed by the Butkus Award, in which he was not named one of the three finalists. Most importantly though, Stutsman was the heart and soul of the OU football program a season ago.
And that’s why his decision to return for one more season was maybe the biggest win of the offseason for the Sooners.
“Yeah, it was a headache, man. It was probably one of the most stressful weeks of my life,” Stutsman said in December. “I was pretty much fully committed to (leaving) — they already cleaned out my locker; everything was ready to go, and Coach V called me on Friday, really just sat down, talked it through with him again. Like I said before, I just didn’t feel like I was ready to leave yet. Didn’t want to rush that. You never have this time to go back to college, and I really just wanted to finish out my senior year and everything that comes with that.”
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Stutsman’s return, after all, was massive for the Sooners. And the expectations have only risen since then. They’ll continue to rise as the season approaches, with him now trying to live up to them.
“He wants to be a senior, he wants to lead and help us transition into the SEC,” OU coach Brent Venables said last season. “I know that he has spoken and we’re excited to have him back. We’re committed to helping him every step of the way. We give him an opportunity to continue to get better — and that’s the thing that I love about Danny. He’s hungry, he’s never satisfied. He recognizes where he wants to make some improvement and he’ll be committed to do.
