Oklahoma Spring Depth Chart Preview: LBs Look Good, But Not Very Deep

With three-year starter and All-American Danny Stutsman off to the NFL, the Sooners seem to be set in the starting lineup but lack experience and depth behind them.

Oklahoma linebacker Kip Lewis / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma opens spring practice March 6, and Year 4 under Brent Venables needs to be a good one.

After going 6-7 in two of his first three seasons, Venables’ tenure as the Sooners’ head coach is in the spotlight more than ever. The Sooners’ spring game on April 12 could be quite revealing.

In this series, Sooners On SI previews OU’s 2025 spring by breaking down the depth chart at each position. Next up: linebackers:

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Oklahoma lost an all-timer at linebacker.

For his first three seasons as the Sooners’ head coach, Brent Venables had one of his own — Danny Stutsman — to help him restore the roar to the OU defense.

Stutsman led the Sooners in tackles for three straight seasons, joined OU's top 10 career tackles list and became a consensus All-American.

But now Stutsman is working his way up the NFL Draft ladder, and the Sooners’ depth at the position seems perilously thin.

In addition to Stutsman, three linebackers — Dasan McCullough, Phil Picciotti and Lewis Carter — left via the transfer portal this offseason, meaning the Sooners go into spring practice next week light on numbers at one of the most physically demanding positions on the field.

Venables’ projected starters in Year 4 seem set: fourth-year junior Kobie McKinzie, one of Venables’ first priorities as a recruit, played in all 13 games at middle linebacker behind Stutsman with two starts. Third-year sophomore Kip Lewis, a two-year starter at weakside linebacker, also returns from another productive season. And junior Sammy Omosigho, who played in 13 games with three starts at cheetah linebacker, is back after a strong 2024.

And now with versatile Jaren Kanak's move to tight end, there’s very little experience and production from the corps overall.

OU added local high school prospect Marcus James, who looks like a future star, but Venables and new linebackers coach Nate Dreiling won’t expect him to do too much as a true freshman, especially since he doesn't arrive until June.

Oklahoma linebacker Kobie McKinzie (left) / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The addition of Kendal Daniels, a three-year starter at Oklahoma State, could go a long way to solving OU’s depth concerns. If Daniels settles in quickly this spring at the cheetah position, then Omosigho is versatile and experienced enough to fill in if needed at either of the other two spots. (Although he won’t do much this spring, the other hope is that nickel corner/cheetah Kendel Dolby’s dislocated/fractured ankle is healthy enough for him to return in the fall, giving Venables some added flexibility at the position.)

Lewis continues to be a pleasant surprise for fans of the Oklahoma defense. He played just four games and redshirted in 2022, then broke out in a big way in 2023 with 66 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and a sack with one fumble recovery. Lewis actually uses his lack of prototype size to his advantage, beating blockers to the point of attack and leveraging his low center of gravity to get under the action. Last season he recorded 63 tackles, 4.5 TFLs and two game-changing interceptions for touchdowns against Auburn and Alabama.

Not surprisingly, those two games were Lewis’ highest Pro Football Focus grades of the season — 92.8 against the Tigers and 79.6 against the Tide. He totaled 470 defensive snaps last season after playing 358 the year before, and posted a PFF overall grade of 68.5 while missing just 12 tackles.

McKinzie is big, smart and hits like a truck. After playing just four games and redshirting in 2022, he got into 13 games in 2023 and delivered 22 tackles. As Stutsman’s primary backup last season, McKinzie began to blossom, collecting 30 tackles, three TFLs and 1.5 sacks.

McKinzie will need to continue to grow into the position. He started against Tulane and Navy last season and totaled just six tackles in those games against run-heavy offenses. After playing just two defensive snaps as a freshman and 165 in 2023, McKinzie logged 337 defensive snaps last year and registered a PFF overall grade of 63.3 with eight missed tackles.

Most of Omosigho’s early career was spent at inside linebacker before he transitioned last year to cheetah. In his two seasons in Norman, he’s played in 23 games overall. He logged 63 defensive snaps as a true freshmen, then broke out last year with 301. After Dolby’s injury in Week 4 against Tennessee and with McCullough out most of the first half of the season, Omosigho moved permanently to cheetah, where he started against Auburn and Texas and then filled in as needed behind McCullough and Woodi Washington.

For the season, he was credited with just six missed tackles. Omosigho started in the bowl game against Navy and finished with six tackles, and in his two seasons, he has registered 47 stops (40 last year) with 5.5 TFLs and one forced fumble.

In three seasons as a linebacker, Kanak had 103 career tackles, with seven tackles for loss, two sacks, two fumbles forced and two fumbles recovered and a touchdown on special teams last year. Most of those defensive numbers came in 2023, when he made nine starts and finished with 62 stops. Kanak played 139 defensive snaps in 2022 and 596 in 2023, but saw that dwindle to just 92 last season, according to PFF.

But Kanak, who played primarily quarterback and free safety in high school, has officially switched to tight end because he seemed to struggle at times with run fits and finishing tackles — he missed 18 tackles in 2023, per PFF.

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More Oklahoma Spring Depth Chart Previews

(Follow these links to catch up)
Feb. 26: Defensive Back 
Feb. 27: Wide Receiver
Feb. 28: Linebacker
March 1: Running Back
March 2: Defensive Line
March 3: Offensive Line
March 4: Tight End
March 5: Special Teams
March 6: Quarterback

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The rest of the linebacker room is simply light on experience — at least in Norman

Daniels could become a huge asset, but he’s new to the school, new to the coaching staff, new to the system — and only has one season at linebacker. His first two years at OSU, the big, rangy Daniels played deep safety (and was a freshman All-American one year and made 106 tackles the next year). 

Daniels finished his career as a Cowboy with 2,298 defensive snaps. As an OSU linebacker, Daniels played 715 snaps but struggled at times to be an efficient tackler. According to PFF, Daniels missed 17 tackles last season and has been credited with 64 missed tackles in his career. He did evolve into an effective pass rusher last season with 5.5 quarterback sacks, six hits, 12 hurries and two passes defensed.

Whether it’s redshirt freshman James Nesta or former walk-on Owen Heinecke (a one-time lacrosse player at Ohio State), someone else could be unexpectedly called upon this season to step up for Venables’ defense.

Depending on how things evolve this spring, it’s also a strong possibility the Sooners could seek additional linebacker depth in the post-spring transfer portal. 

NOTE: This story has been changed to reflect Jaren Kanak's move to tight end.

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