Major life decisions are never easy.
Danny Stutsman knows that firsthand.
The Oklahoma linebacker who has grown into the centerpiece of Brent Venables’ defense went through the ringer this past week, initially deciding to forego his senior season to head to the 2024 NFL Draft before having a change of heart to ultimately return to Norman.
“It was a headache, man,” Stutsman said after OU’s practice on Tuesday. “It was probably one of the most stressful weeks of my life.”
After totaling 99 tackles, including 16 tackles for loss and three sacks, two forced fumbles and a pick six in 2023, Stutsman was confident in his pro prospects.
He even told Venables as much.
But the Oklahoma coach wouldn’t let Stutsman go without one last pitch.
“They already cleaned out my locker; everything was ready to go, and Coach V called me on Friday,” Stutsman said. “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.”
Stutsman mulled it over, and realized his heart was with playing one more year in Norman.
“I mean, why not, man? It’s Oklahoma, man,” Stutsman said. “It’s where I’ve been my whole career. It’s a place I love. Obviously, this was a very tough decision. I think the heart wanted to stay here. At the end of the day, you can’t turn that down.
“When it was time for pen to go to paper, it just didn’t feel right. I wasn’t ready to leave this program, all that we’ve built going into Year 3 with Coach Venables; I wasn’t ready to leave just yet.”
Oklahoma will not only get its leading linebacker back for 2024, but star safety Billy Bowman.
Bowman announced his return, as well as his excitement to play in the SEC, Friday evening.
The return of Bowman was a factor Stutsman said also played into his decision.
“Two-hundred percent. Me and Billy came in here together,” Stutsman said. “We’ve done everything together. We really tried to build this defense together. When he came, said he was coming back, we were talking right after the TCU game. Everything that we’ve done, we wanted to do it together.
“You know, when I kind of wanted to leave, and he said he was staying, yes, it did sway my decision for sure.”
One the decision was made, Stutsman got to repurpose a video he had already shot with legendary OU linebacker Brian Bosworth to announce his final decision.
“That video was in the works for a while,” Stutsman said. “It was going to be a late-season Butkus campaign, but obviously we had to reuse some footage, so we took advantage of that. For everyone that was saying I took the weekend to shoot that video is not true.
“The weekend was very tough for me. I was kind of locked up in my room, had the phone down, just thinking and praying. Boz has been amazing, man. For him to go out, we shot that video, it was a great experience.”
The news of his return resonated throughout the locker room, though even Stutsman’s teammates didn’t know for sure if he’d be staying one more year at Oklahoma or headed to the NFL.
“That was pretty cool,” OU defensive back Gentry Williams said. “I had took a nap, I woke up and then it was like ‘I’m not leaving.’ I was like, ‘woah,’ cuz, you know, like we all thought, you know, just like you guys, that he was, you know, taking that next level, but he decided to come back and that was pretty cool, you know? That was pretty cool.”
At the end of the day, the pull of the relationships Stutsman has built over the last three years in Norman won the day.
He’s thrilled for the opportunity to play in the SEC next year and to spearhead another step forward for OU’s defense.
In the end, it was Stutsman’s close bond with Venables that played a major role in keeping him at Oklahoma for one final ride.
“Coach V’s invested so much into me,” Stutsman said. “He’s given me so much. I think it’s the least I could do to come back for one more season.”
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