Oklahoma’s defense got two major boosts in the last 72 hours, with safety Billy Bowman Jr. and linebacker Danny Stutsman both announcing their returns for 2024.
Oklahoma football LB Danny Stutsman has returned to the program for one year after bypassing the 2024 NFL Draft.
The time is here when players are deciding whether to head for the NFL Draft or play one more season of college football to boost their stock. One player whose decision was up in the air was Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Danny Stutsman.
NORMAN — The two biggest recruiting wins for Brent Venables since the end of the regular season didn’t come from the transfer portal or the 2024 class.
They came from within Oklahoma’s program.
In the last 72 hours, the Sooners were the beneficiaries of two monumental decisions from their two best defensive players, with safety Billy Bowman Jr. announcing Friday night his decision to return for his senior season and linebacker Danny Stutsman following suit Monday afternoon. Bowman’s announcement came four days after he sent many OU fans into a panic by brushing aside a question about his future during an appearance on Sooner Sports Talk, while Stutsman’s announcement—replete with a minute-long video featuring Brian Bosworth, a private jet and a pair of white Corvettes—came a week after reports surfaced that the linebacker was expected to declare for the NFL Draft.
However, Stutsman shut down any NFL Draft buzz with a firm statement on Monday as he announced his decision to play one more year for the Oklahoma football program.
The junior linebacker was sensational for the Oklahoma football team in 2023. He registered 47 solo tackles with three sacks and an interception after recording 51 tackles with two sacks and two interceptions in 2022.
After Oklahoma’s win over Texas (which was the Longhorn’s only loss of the year), Stutsman and other players went viral for sporting some shirts that said the Longhorns feared the Sooners and Texas player Xavier Worthy clapped back at Stutsman in an entertaining back and forth.
The Oklahoma football program has already lost a few players to the transfer portal, with the biggest departure being quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who revealed his decision to head to Oregon.
Brent Venables and the Oklahoma football team will search for a new quarterback and some other weapons, but having Danny Stutsman return as one of the defensive anchors is a massive step in the right direction.
