NORMAN The Danny Stutsman Experience at Oklahoma is a fully immersive, almost interactive encounter.He loves to play, said Sooners head coach Brent Venables, loves to compete. Danny, said wide receiver Marvin Mims, is probably the craziest guy on the football team.Stutsman is two games into his sophomore season. Like he did as a true freshman, hes deeply endeared himself to the fan base this season with fun, enthusiasm and excitement.Stutsman is more than just a linebacker. When he hits a Michael Vick Jersey ball carrier like he did on Saturday against Kent State, hes an entertainer a carnival barker. Arms flail. Legs stomp. His head shakes.I mean, dude flies around and hits everything, Mims said. I love watching him play. I've never been a defensive guy. But Danny Stutsman makes me want to watch defense.Stutsman leads the Sooners with 21 tackles through two games. That includes 12 stops nine of those solo against the Golden Flashes. Last week against UTEP, he set his career high with nine tackles. His work against the Golden Flashes makes a good case for Big 12 defensive player of the week thanks to his prolific tackling, which included four tackles for lo s and a quarterback sack.Sometimes that's how the game goes, Stutsman said. Sometimes they're going to try to target you and you've just got to do your best to make the plays, and sometimes they're going to run away and you've got to kind of scrape over the top and John Cominsky Jersey kind of help over there as well.Danny is a guy who shows up every day and puts in extra work, said linebackers coach Ted Roof. You are seeing some of the fruits of his labor show up here.He holds himself to a high standard, Venables said. The harder it gets, the tougher he plays. Hes got tremendous instincts, good natural feel. You know, wisdom is the application of knowledge, right? Quinton Bell Jersey So hes taken the knowledge that hes learning, and hes really applying it to his game. Hes playing with a lot of confidence right now. Hes like a sponge. He wants to learn more.Stutsman, from Windermere, FL, admits that the college game has slowed down for him this year.Scroll to ContinueI think a lot, he said. Coach Venables really emphasized on preparing and that's something that we do very serious now and it really helps. It shows up on the field when you've already seen that play 100 times on film and you're able to recognize it and have that play recognition.The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Stutsman burst onto the Sooner scene last year when he played in 10 games and made 38 total tackles. He was exciting, he was captivating, and he was pa sionate. Funny and likable in person, irreverent and engaging in interviews, Stutsman quickly became a fan favorite.But theres substance to the show. Now the Sooners starting weakside linebacker, Stutsmans physical talents are shining through Drew Dalman Jersey his affable exterior. The work he puts in has laid a foundation that belies any notion of just another goofy college kid.We've had some pretty big talks when (Venables) first got here, Stutsman said. They were tough. They were very tough talks and just kind of he told me what I needed to do to be where I wanted to go. And I was committed to do that change. It was tough at first, but now I've embraced it and I'm doing everything I can to just be where he wants me to be.The toughest part, Stutsman said, was adding to his level of personal commitment to football and to school, he said.Just kind of sacrificing some things you know. he said, putting more time into the game, which is I came here to do that, and he kind of put me in line. I'm very grateful for what he's done. I'm just ble sed that he's here.Stutsman elevating his game under Roof and Venables isnt a surprise. But is he already settling into Oklahomas long line of elite linebackers?Man, the kids a player, said defensive end Reggie Grimes. You know, he plays really, really hard. He does his job really, really well. I just love the way he plays, Mims said. The person he is outside of football, I mean, he's a great guy. I love watching him Olamide Zaccheaus Jersey play.Stutsmans career trajectory, Venables said, is trending up.I expect to see the needle keep moving in the right direction for Danny, Venables said. Everythings still sitting in front of him.