Oklahoma Starting 11: Linebacker DaShaun White

SI Sooners Examines OU's Best and Brightest Players on the 2022 Roster Heading Into Spring Practice. Today: No. 5, DaShaun White.

DaShaun White is coming off his best season as an Oklahoma linebacker. But the Sooners’ super senior wants more.

White’s final spring practice starts Tuesday, and it’s a big spring for him as he has a new head coach and a new position coach and coordinator.

Brent Venables and Ted Roof don’t know all that much about White, other than he’s a three-year starter, an undersized middle linebacker who plays with a big heart and has versatility and experience to slide out to the weak side spot when needed.

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Oklahoma Starting 11

• No. 11: Brayden Willis
• No. 10: Jeffery Johnson
• No. 9: Andrew Raym
• No. 8: Michael Turk
• No. 7: Eric Gray
• No. 6: Key Lawrence
• No. 5 DaShaun White

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They’ve watched White’s film from 2019, 2020 and 2021, but they’ll probably learn more about him over the next 30 days or so because they’ll finally get to be around him and see for themselves not only how he plays but how he cares.

To White, 2022 is something of a renewal — a push of the reset button. As Venables transitions the Sooners to a 4-man front, that means new responsibilities for the linebacker corps.

“I kind of feel like a freshman coming in here a little bit with the coaches,” White said in December.

White has something to prove to his new coaches, but he also has something to prove to himself.

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BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK

Oklahoma linebacker DaShaun White is back for his super senior season.

OU Athletics

White is a three-year starter for the Sooners after playing special teams as a freshman.

Ty Russell / OU Athletics

White has become a more sure tackler and has improved his pass coverage.

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Now White goes into spring practice needing to prove himself to a new coaching staff.

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“The beginning of something totally new,” White said. “There's a new shot at it for, you know, this team, this university, sort of new life in the same sense.”

Coming out of North Richland Hills, TX, White was a U.S. Army All-American and a 4-star prospect, according to 247 Sports, in the 2018 class. He chose OU over offers from Texas, Texas A&M, Arizona, Arkansas, TCU, Oklahoma State and others. 247 Sports rated White as the No. 116 overall prospect in the nation and the No. 9 outside linebacker.

As a true freshman, White played a backup role to Kenneth Murray and got into 14 games on special teams.

White won the starting mike job in 2019 and hasn’t let go. He made 52 tackles as a sophomore, 38 as a junior and 66 last season.

In his career, White has 13.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 quarterback sacks and two fumble recoveries.

As his career has progressed, White has become a more sure tackler, and he’s gotten better in coverage — though there’s still room for improvement in both areas. That’s another reason White hopes to have a productive spring.

White is a cerebral player who understands offenses and communicates well. Now, however, he’s learning an all-new defensive scheme — and an all-new staff.

“C'mon,” White said, “coach Venables, he's a mad defensive coach.”

And as for his position coach, White has spent the last three months or so getting to know the man as well as the coach.

“I can sit here and tell you about me being really impressed by Roof's football mind, because I really was,” White said. “But I think what stood out to me was him talking about his family and his aspirations outside of this game, things that he's interested in and stuff like that. Just sort of getting a feel for who they both are as men is something that's really important to me.”