Stutsman striving for 'excellence'
It was a fourth-and-one for Kent State late in the third quarter, and Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman was able to attack the line and make the stop for no gain and force a turnover on downs.
The crowd went crazy. The Sooners were up 24-3 and on their way to a 33-3 victory. As Stutsman was running off the field, he was greeted by first-year head coach Brent Venables.
Not a scene of celebration, but of learning. Venables was definitely happy Stutsman made the stop, but he’s always teaching.
And Stutsman is now absolutely willing to learn.
When Venables was hired as head coach in December, OU fans couldn’t think of a better partnership than Venables teaching the linebacker position to Stutsman. Not the most ballyhooed member of the 2021 recruiting class, it became obvious by season’s end that Stutsman has an incredibly bright future in Norman.
His present could be pretty dang special, too, as long as he was willing to put in the work.
“We challenged him to being a leader and take control of his career,” said Venables, recalling a conversation from February. “You have a small window. That hourglass is flipped all the way over. You’re on the clock. You can’t get back these days. New staff, system, language, when are you going to learn it? You gonna try to be a person of excellence? Or just get by on talent?”
That was a jolt for Stutsman. He’s quickly become a fan favorite for his personality off the field combined with his ability on it.
It could have been difficult to accept, to have this newcomer walk in and basically say you’re not being who you need to be. If Stutsman continued down his 2021 path, he was never going to become the type of player that he is now striving for.
If there’s one thing Venables isn’t afraid of, it’s having those tough conversations. To help improve them as players and, maybe more importantly, as young men.
“It was a lot. He came to me and asked where I was last year. He knew, able to watch film from last year and say I don’t think you prepare as much,” Stutsman told SoonerScoop.com in August. “He was able to see that just from film. He wasn’t wrong, for sure, at times.
“That’s where a great coach can see that. That’s what he needs – to see more out of you. I need you to be in the film room more. I need you to be in the weight room more. He said I can make you a great player, but I need you to follow me. That’s something that has been a total buy-in.”
With Venables track record as a defensive coordinator, and more specifically with linebackers, it took Stutsman just a bit of time to swallow the pride and put in the work.
“You want a guy who is able to coach you and you have to be able to follow,” Stutsman said. “He’s such a great leader like that when he says something like that, he knows what greatness looks like and how to get you there.
“Keep your head up and work hard. Take something like that and know that it comes from a place of love and not a place of hate. When you hear those words, OK, how can we build on that so you can see the improvement in yourself.”
Stutsman is off to a terrific start to his 2022 season, making the first starts of his career. After a solid outing vs. UTEP, Stutsman had his best performance (to this point) with 12 tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack against Kent State.
It’s enough to get some of the guys on the other side of the ball to take notice.
“Danny’s probably the craziest guy on the football team,” wide receiver Marvin Mims said. “I mean, dude flies around and hits everything. I love watching him play. I've never been a defensive guy. But Danny Stutsman makes me want to watch defense. I just love the way he plays. The person he is outside of football. I mean, he's a great guy. I love watching him play.”
That’s what confidence can do. He had the instincts and natural feel of the game. Now he’s taking the knowledge he’s learning and applying it fully.
It’s a far cry from the guy in February who, according to Venables, wasn’t watching film, didn’t have a playbook or something to write with to take notes.
“That’s my brother from another mother, real talk,” linebacker DaShaun White said. “I love that dude. To be honest, we’ve grown a lot closer this year and it’s been nice. That entire unit, this entire team, specifically Danny it’s been nice to get closer to him. I think us being a little bit closer, we can play a little fast, I can jump around with him a little bit more.”
Venables talks about taking OU from good to great. Stutsman always feels like a prime example of someone understanding what that is going to entail.
Someone now who is fully striving to bring that excellence every time he’s out there.