White embracing new role
One of the first things Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said at Big 12 media days was that 40 percent of the roster hasn’t played a game for the Sooners.
Linebacker DaShaun White isn’t in that percentage, far from it. As January came around, White was one of the final decisions to be made regarding returning to OU, transferring or opting for the NFL.
White had seen a lot of his teammates and 2018 class members decide it was time for the next chapter, but White wasn’t ready to leave OU like that.
“Really felt deep down inside I just left so much on the table here,” said White back in the spring. “If I had went on and went to the league, I know that it probably would've been one of those things that just would've ate at me for quite some time just knowing that I didn't leave the legacy that I wanted here.”
White’s decision was made a little easier because he knew he was going to be under the guidance of the experience and success of Venables and defensive coordinator Ted Roof.
If any staff was going to be able to utilize White to his full potential, it would be this one. Now less than a week from the season opener vs. UTEP, White is seeing just that.
The MIKE inside linebacker for most of his OU career, 2022 offers something new for the super senior. Some MIKE, some WILL, and let’s add some Cheetah.
Venables said earlier in camp that White’s versatility really stood out. And in the quest to find the best 11 guys on defense, sometimes you have to make a change.
It appears as though David Ugwoegbu and Danny Stutsman have been performing at a high level inside, meaning White is about to find a lot of time at his new Cheetah home.
“It’s been cool. It’s been different,” White said. “They’re kind of trying me at all three. It suits me. I feel like I can play anywhere on the defense, and it helps me just being able to know the defense all around. It makes me do my job a lot better because I know whenever I just started at one position, it was kind of like I was learning that position but I didn’t really know where my help was at. I didn’t really know things like that.
“But being able to learn really both sides of the field and the middle positions helped me know everybody’s job and it makes me play that much faster.”
It might be a bit of an adjustment, but White is eager to show what he can do. He’s not second-guessing his decision at all to return and Venables is bringing the best out of White, at least to this point.
In explaining the Cheetah position, Venables said it’s one of the easiest to learn, actually, but among the hardest to find. You need to have someone ‘who can cover, play in space, play some man-to-man, can blitz, they can do a variety of things.’
It says a lot about White that he’s been able to fit right in.
“It’s one of those things, you’ve got to give it to someone who can handle it,” White said. “I take pride in being one of the people who is very detail-oriented. Somebody that when I do something, I want to do it right.
“If I get something wrong, I only want to get it wrong one time. I’ve been taking that to a new position to help me learn it. I want to be able to do anything these coaches ask me to do to be able to win.”
White has accomplished a lot in Norman, but it hasn’t quite been what he thought it would be or what fans have been wanting. Last season was a perfect example. He was third on the team with 66 tackles, but it never felt like he was making the game-changing play.
He has 169 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss in his career, but this season? It’s time for a new attitude, new mindset and going out with a bang.
“Honestly, the biggest things that they’ve helped me with is my physicality,” White said. “I feel like in the past I was trying to be a little too finesse in situations where you have to set the edge. You don’t got to dip and rip under the edge. It’s just different situations like that, and just knowledge of the game.”