Oklahoma Sooners linebackers coach Danny Stutsman interview
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00:00 >> Quick part.
00:02 >> Jersey custom?
00:03 >> Mm-hm, let's show it off real quick.
00:07 Jimmy Green Beans from Salina, Kansas.
00:11 Lined up the defense for three years,
00:13 about time I give him some credit with a custom jersey.
00:16 3/6 of this Kansas number, so I'm kind of representing.
00:20 Yeah, just came in yesterday.
00:22 >> What was his response when he got the Chevy jersey?
00:24 >> He loved it.
00:26 At times he's kind of uptight, but when he sees something like that,
00:29 it breaks that guard, and so it's good to see that emotion from him.
00:33 But it was a good little interaction.
00:34 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:38 All right, we're done.
00:38 >> [LAUGH] >> What did you think of the defense
00:40 overall today?
00:41 >> It looked very good.
00:42 Obviously, kept the call kind of small, just don't put anything out there.
00:45 But it looked really good, man.
00:47 Some of the guys, the younger guys, kind of made a lot of plays.
00:50 Looked great seeing them.
00:51 Coach Ida does a phenomenal job just teaching.
00:53 Every single opportunity he gets, congratulations to him, recently engaged.
00:57 So that was a big deal last night.
00:58 But it looked really good.
01:00 The offense was electric out there, a lot of explosives right away.
01:03 That was the emphasis they wanted to do, really attack, take the top off.
01:06 And they did a phenomenal job doing that.
01:07 >> What kind of development have you just seen from somebody like Devon this spring?
01:13 >> Mitchell?
01:14 >> Cedars.
01:15 >> Absolutely.
01:16 Yeah, Devon's a phenomenal job.
01:17 Kind of stepped in to a bigger role this year in that defensive line group.
01:21 Kind of young now, but we got all the dudes that we need to be successful.
01:25 He's kind of had to step up and be a leader.
01:26 He's a phenomenal job doing that throughout this get ready phase.
01:30 >> Branch mentioned keeping things vanilla.
01:32 Do you think that helps the younger guys at all?
01:34 >> Absolutely, at the end of the day, it just kind of takes the thinking out of it.
01:37 It's the calls of day one.
01:39 And so it's kind of just see what they can do.
01:41 See if they can play some football for the defensive linemen and
01:43 not any crazy stunts.
01:44 Just see if you can go one on one and win.
01:46 >> Been a lot of buzz around Lewis Carter.
01:49 Just how good can he be?
01:51 >> Phenomenal, man.
01:52 His instincts are off the charts, man.
01:54 He's kind of get the little things down, but he can flat out fly.
01:58 He's a heavy hitter.
01:59 He's a smart dude.
02:00 It's just all gonna come together this upcoming year.
02:02 >> What's your sense of where the defense is now versus coming out of the spring
02:08 a year ago?
02:09 >> I mean, we're miles ahead of where we were.
02:11 Obviously, Coach has a phenomenal job.
02:12 He's good over there.
02:13 Coach was as well.
02:15 And that's what you want to see year three now.
02:17 So I think we have all the pieces that we need.
02:19 I think we kind of really got our squad.
02:21 I'm excited to get Billy back out there and just see what we can do.
02:24 >> And what's your sense of the line, defensive line coming together?
02:28 >> Man, those defensive ends are scary, man.
02:30 Those are some dudes all over the place.
02:31 DT, he's gonna be another phenomenal piece for us.
02:34 It's hard losing a guy like Lacey, but
02:35 the younger guys are ready to step up and fill in that role.
02:38 I think we have a really sound squad.
02:40 >> Okay, just from guarding the tight ends,
02:42 what have you kind of noticed about them this year compared to years past?
02:45 >> Yeah, I mean, Bauer's really an electric dude, man.
02:47 He's kind of stepped into that role.
02:49 Now I wanna see him try to promote that leadership from him.
02:52 These guys come in here, kind of where a smaller school is kind of all new to him.
02:55 But now he's kind of acclimated.
02:56 Now I wanna see him really step up and really strive to be a leader on this team.
03:00 >> Seems like the depth across the linebacker room,
03:02 just a lot different now than even it was middle of the year last year.
03:06 >> Very competitive, man.
03:07 Every single person can play, man.
03:08 It's gonna be hard to see who's gonna get on that field.
03:10 So every day, no spots guaranteed.
03:13 You and myself, we all go out there, we're competing every single day.
03:15 And that's what you wanna see from a group, especially with older guys,
03:18 younger guys, just a great mix.
03:19 >> Of the young guys that have come in this spring or this winter,
03:23 who has really, really stood out to you so far?
03:26 >> I mean, obviously, I think Bauer and Dion, two guys on the offensive side,
03:30 that really stepped up and made huge plays all over the place.
03:33 Defensively, I think Reggie Powers and Michael Boganowski.
03:36 Those are guys that it's taken some time for them to get it.
03:38 It's a hard system.
03:40 Billy's kind of a tougher coach than Coach Hall, but they've done a phenomenal job.
03:44 And they make plays all over the place.
03:46 And then the linebacker of Sammy and Lewis are just two guys that last year,
03:49 you saw a little glimpse of it.
03:50 And now you really wanna see what they can really do.
03:52 And they're gonna be huge parts for us.
03:53 >> Do you see the linebacker in Boganowski, the way he plays?
03:57 >> Yeah, I mean, he's not afraid of contact, man.
03:59 He's following on him.
04:00 He's gonna come down there and hit something.
04:01 He has great speed and great instinct.
04:03 He's just gonna take some time for him to figure everything out.
04:05 But that's normal for a freshman coming in early.
04:07 >> Danny, as much as you guys don't wanna give up explosives,
04:10 it had to be pretty impressive to see the way Dion took the top off the defense,
04:13 right?
04:13 >> I mean, absolutely, man.
04:14 He's a trailblazer, man, watching him run, his routes.
04:18 No one gets off the ball like he does.
04:19 Very electric, his accelerations unmatched.
04:22 It kinda stinks seeing that.
04:24 Fortunately, I wasn't out there.
04:26 But from the side, I looked good.
04:27 Man, I'm sure the fans were ecstatic.
04:29 He had two long bombs.
04:30 But Jackson put it on the money, man.
04:31 That's what you love to see.
04:33 >> Has PJ had the type of spring that taken that next step for
04:37 him from a development standpoint?
04:39 >> Absolutely, he's done everything he can.
04:41 Had him banged up here and there.
04:42 But he's done a phenomenal job this spring.
04:44 Just been healthy.
04:44 Been going after it, man.
04:45 That whole defensive line group, just a phenomenal job.
04:47 Man, the veterans have really stepped up.
04:49 That leadership's been second to none, man.
04:51 It's great to see Ethan, PJ, R.
04:52 Mason, the list goes on and on.
04:54 Just leaders, man.
04:55 >> How ready do you feel this defense is for the physicality of the SEC?
04:58 >> I mean, our standard's the standard, man.
05:00 We compete every single day.
05:01 We practice hard.
05:02 So I have no doubt my mind will be ready.
05:04 >> Brent just talked a lot about the steps you guys,
05:06 the cross would have to make this summer before you even come back for fall camp.
05:10 What's that look like for
05:10 the linebacker room to get to where you need to be, making those jumps this summer?
05:13 >> Yeah, we should continue to work on our block destruction,
05:16 our play recognition, and everything else that goes in between those lines.
05:18 Coach Allen's done a phenomenal job, so the tools that we induce,
05:21 now it's time for a guy like myself to get those younger guys in here.
05:24 Starting pretty much Monday, enjoy the weekend, and we're right back to the work.
05:28 Man, we know it needs to be done.
05:29 We gotta outwork every single opponent from here on out.
05:31 >> No one noticed the Bob Stips?
05:35 >> I didn't notice that.