Danny Stutsman: Oklahoma DT Damonic Williams 'Dominated' Summer Workouts

Oklahoma's veteran linebacker had high praise for Oklahoma's new transfer portal addition at SEC Media Days.

Dec 31, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) makes a throw under pressure by TCU Horned Frogs defensive lineman Damonic Williams (52) in the first half of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — Damonic Williams is already turning heads in Norman. 

The 6-foot-1, 319-pound defensive tackle was the jewel of Oklahoma’s transfer portal class as Brent Venables and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates landed the former TCU Horned Frog over Texas and LSU. 

Williams totaled 60 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 quarterback sacks over the past two years from the defensive interior in Fort Worth, and he’s projected to make an instant impact at the heart of OU’s defensive line. 

He didn’t enter the portal until after spring practice, meaning Williams will have plenty of work ahead of him to get caught up with the playbook, but there are no questions about his physical abilities after he joined the Sooners for summer workouts. 

“From the second (Williams) came, he's a beast,” OU linebacker Danny Stutsman said on Tuesday. “We had our conditioning training when he first stepped on there, and we didn't know where he was going to be. Obviously in the portal, you can't work out with the team you were with before. He came in and dominated right away. 

“There's going to be no fall off. It's going to take no time to get acclimated. He's going to be ready to go.”

The rest of the defense was excited by Williams’ arrival, as he projects to be a key contributor right away. 

“He’s going to bring toughness to our defense, on that defensive line especially,” OU safety Billy Bowman said. “Stopping the run is what we need to do. We brought him in so he can do that.”

There will be a learning curve, however. 

Venables’ defense is notoriously complicated, and Williams didn’t arrive until after spring practices had concluded. 

Williams’ learning curve will be steep this fall, but contributing on Oklahoma’s defense after missing the spring isn’t impossible. 

Defensive tackle Da’Jon Terry was in the same boat last year for the Sooners, and he finished 2023 with 18 total tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack in a heavy rotation up the middle. 

Stutsman said Williams has been grasping things quickly, putting the new defensive lineman in a good spot as training camp gets underway at the end of the month. 

“He’s gonna be a great player for us,” Stutsman said. “He came in right away, it kind of takes a little bit, but he’s earned that respect in the group. You kind of look at him, you see a natural leader. The system takes a second, but now he’s starting to get it. Throughout the summer, he’s taking every single day, he’s helping lead the group, lead the younger guys.

“… He's done a phenomenal job of learning the system, getting with Coach Bates as much as possible. I think he's going to be extremely prepared for what we do.”