Danny Stutsman named finalist for top college football positional award, joining long list of elite Sooners
Nobody should be surprised the accolades keep coming in for Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Danny Stutsman. After helping lead Oklahoma's defense to a dominant win over the Alabama Crimson Tide, Stutsman has his name up for serious hardware. On Monday morning, he was named a finalist for the Dick Butkus Award, the award handed out to […]
Nobody should be surprised the accolades keep coming in for Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Danny Stutsman.
After helping lead Oklahoma's defense to a dominant win over the Alabama Crimson Tide, Stutsman has his name up for serious hardware.
On Monday morning, he was named a finalist for the Dick Butkus Award, the award handed out to the top linebacker in the country.
Here are the finalists:
- Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
- Chris Paul Jr., Ole Miss
- Barrett Carter, Clemson
- Jalon Walker, Georgia
- Carson Schwesinger, UCLA
It's always difficult to earn recognition for awards when you are up against teams at the top like Georgia and Clemson, but let's be real here: Stutsman is the best linebacker in the country right now.
He leads all of these linebackers in total stops. Only Schwesinger is ahead of him in total tackles. He and Carter are tied for the fewest receptions allowed of all of these players with 20 apiece. When you watch any Oklahoma game, Stutsman is everywhere, making his presence felt.
In an intangible way, Stutsman has been the heart and soul of the resurgent Sooners' defense this season. He is the unquestioned leader of the entire team and he sets the tone for every other player on this roster.
Being the anchor for a defense that went from 97th to 6th in EPA/Play in just two years is something that none of the rest of these players can say. It's been Stutsman's presence that has guided Oklahoma's defense to success, and the culture that exists on that side of the ball comes entirely from him and Brent Venables.
Add in the fact that he is one of the most productive linebackers in the country, hitting 100+ tackles for the third season in a row, and Stutsman's profile for the award continues to grow.
If Oklahoma can pull off the upset over LSU in another primetime SEC game to end the season, it would likely be because of Stutsman making his presence known throughout the game. If (or when) that happens, he should be the unquestioned favorite for the Butkus Award.
If Stutsman won the Butkus Award, he would be the third player to bring home the Butkus Award in Oklahoma history and would be their fourth winner all time (Brian Bosworth won it twice).
