Oklahoma Position Battles: Middle Linebacker

As the Sooners open up fall camp on Aug. 4, there are still a few lineup decisions for the coaching staff to make.

Fall camp opens up in Norman on Aug. 4, and there are still plenty of position battles that need to work themselves out.

At linebacker, the names are known but there are still questions about how Brent Venables and Ted Roof will divvy up the snaps.

DaShaun White, David Ugwoegbu and Danny Stutsman all return with experience taking the field for the Sooners last year, but they’ll have to perform under the microscope of Venables this season.

White by far brings back the most experience, starting 36 games over the past three seasons, and is tipped to be the leader of the linebacker room.

DaShaun White returns as Oklahoma's most experienced linebacker in 2022 :: Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports

Who plays alongside him on the interior, however, is still up for grabs.

Ugwoegbu insisted during the spring that he wasn’t just staying at linebacker, but was intent on thriving at the position under the guidance of Venables and Roof.

“I feel confident in my play at the linebacker position,” Ugwoegbu said last April. “… My position as the Mike is pretty sound right now.”

Ugwoegbu has appeared in 37 games over the past three years, totaling 102 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback sacks for his career in just nine starts.

Last year, Stutsman also showed plenty of promise, and he’ll be pushing for more snaps as well.

As a true freshman, the Windermere, FL, product took the field in 10 games around an elbow injury. A constant presence around the football, Stutsman totaled 38 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack and a pair of forced fumbles.

In 2022, Stutsman is prepared to take on a bigger role off the field as well. Despite battling Ugwoegbu for snaps, Stutsman said he focused on finding his voice as a leader during spring practice along with continuing his development as a player on the field.

“(I need to) just lead. Be confident,” Stutsman said during spring football. “This is my defense. At Mike linebacker, you’re directing the guys. I mean, whatever you say goes. So just be confident with it. Don’t overthink it and just play football. I’ve done it my whole life.”

While Jeff Lebby’s offense ups the tempo, the Oklahoma defense should be on the field for more snaps, giving Ugwoegbu and Stutsman both plenty of opportunities to make an impact.

And the Sooners will have even more experienced depth to lean on behind White in T.D. Roof.

T.D. Roof has played plenty of football throughout his career, and he brings that experience to Oklahoma for his super senior season / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The son of Oklahoma’s new defensive coordinator arrived on campus with a wealth of experience, appearing in 45 games throughout his career.

But the camp battles will rage beyond Roof’s place on the depth chart.

Junior Shane Whitter looks to build on his close to the 2022 season, while true freshmen Kobie McKinzie and Kip Lewis will both try to carve out a role for themselves during their first season on campus after enrolling early and competing in the spring.

The new defensive staff wiped the slate clean last January, opening the door for everyone to impress.

Now, with a little over a month until the Sooners kick off the season against the UTEP Miners, Ted Roof will have plenty of personnel decisions to make before the season opener. 

---

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the AllSooners message board community today!

Sign up for your premium membership to AllSooners.com today, and get access to the entire Fan Nation premium network!

Follow AllSooners on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest OU news.