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Oklahoma senior linebacker Danny Stutsman was named one of five finalists for The Butkus Award on Monday.

The Butkus Award, which was named after College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dick Butkus and established in 1985, honors the most impactful linebackers in high school, college and professional football.

Oklahoma has had three previous winners. The first was Brian Bosworth, who won twice in 1985 and 1986, followed by Rocky Calmus in 2001 and then Teddy Lehman in 2003.

This season, the senior from Windermere, Florida, has started in all 11 games at middle linebacker. He has reached double-digits in tackles four times this season and has notched 15 tackles three times. Stutsman is ranked fourth in the SEC and 21st nationally with a team-high of 100 total tackles.

In his career, Stutsman has tallied 367 tackles, ranking him ninth in Oklahoma history. During his tenure at OU, the linebacker also has eight sacks and three interceptions, one of which became a pick-six. 

Stutsman has made an impact both on and off the field. At the end of the 2022 season and again in the 2023 season, the team voted him as a permanent team captain.

Early in the season, Stutsman also wanted to recognize the hard work and value the walk-ons bring to the program. To do so, he donated a portion of his NIL earnings.

Stutsman joins fellow Butkus finalists Barrett Carter from Clemson, Chris Paul Jr. from Mississippi, Carter Schwesinger from UCLA and Jalon Walker from Georgia.

The winner will be announced by Friday, Dec. 10 after the conclusion of the regular season. 

Prior to the announcement, the finalist went to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday to alert the public that his senior night jersey had been taken from his locker after OU’s 24-3 upset win over Alabama.

He is now looking for anyone who has information about the jerseys current location.

Next, the Sooners (6-5, 2-5 SEC) will take on LSU (7-4, 4-3 SEC) at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on ESPN.

This story was edited by Gracie Rawlings. 

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