During Oklahoma’s recent bye week, DaShaun White intently studied tape of former Clemson star Isaiah Simmons and current Tigers standout Trenton Simpson, among others who have excelled at the Cheetah position.
White, who transitioned to the strongside linebacker/nickelback hybrid position in Brent Venables’ defense before this season, has taken his film study more seriously during his fifth-year in Norman and it’s translating to in-game results.
Against Iowa State last Saturday, the OU defense recorded three interceptions and limited the Cyclones to 66 rushing yards while White recorded a team- and career-high 14 tackles. The performance illustrated the Sooners’ growth as well as White’s maturation in one of the defense’s most crucial positions, fostered by his hard work off the field.
“He played his best football game this past Saturday,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “He's become more physical, more decisive. When he makes a decision, he sees it and goes. (He’s) playing with more confidence, and he's been playing well for us. And we need him to continue to finish his Oklahoma career in the right way.”
White’s rise from solid starter to Sooners standout and legitimate NFL prospect has been gradual. After he slid over from middle linebacker near the end of fall camp, he first took advice on playing the position from another successful former Cheetah in Clemson product Ryan Carter, now a graduate assistant on OU’s coaching staff.
Fifth-year linebacker DaShaun White during the game against Kansas State on Sept. 24.
“He helped me out a lot, really on the practice field more than anything,” White said. “I can really remember vividly how close he was to me towards the end of fall camp (with) me making that transition.
"And I just know we always talk about RC, he has like the best teach tape we've ever seen. I'm not even joking. He's made probably every play you've ever seen. So just kind of having him in my ear has really helped me a lot.”
In previous seasons, White hadn’t been so interested in watching film. However, this fall he has established a Sunday routine of showing up to the team facility, receiving medical treatment and going to church, then hunkering down to rewatch his tape, evaluate his recent play, and prepare for the next opponent.
“I think he's put a lot more time into studying the game on his own, (and) with his teammates, really understanding intimately, trying to have a grasp of the game plan like the coordinator is calling it,” Venables said. “Understanding not just the what, but the how, and the why and the when.
"So there's a maturation from a football intelligence standpoint, that he's put a lot of hard work in and taken great notes every day. He's applying the knowledge that he's been given to game day.”
The fruits of White’s labor weren’t immediately evident in games. He was on his way to a good performance against Nebraska on Sept. 17 until his helmet-to-helmet hit on Huskers quarterback Casey Thompson was ruled targeting and he was ejected.
Venables had admonished White about his pad level in practice but his coach's words didn’t prevent the error. Nevertheless, White owned the mistake and vowed to improve.
As conference play got underway, White struggled to adjust. He made just one tackle in the Sooners’ 55-24 loss to TCU and only three in their 49-0 dismantling at the hands of Texas.
Then-senior linebacker DaShaun White during the homecoming game against TCU on Oct. 16, 2021.
But finally, everything White had been learning and practicing started to click against Kansas. He made a then-season-high eight tackles and baited Jayhawks quarterback Jason Bean into throwing a curl route right at him for his first-career interception. Then, against Iowa State, he took another step forward with the best game of his college career.
“It's a lot like what this team has kind of gone through this year,” White said. “Not to say that we've made it or anything like that, because we still got a really long way to go, but I just feel like when you work hard at something, you don't always reap what you sow as soon as that happens.
"And so you just keep kind of chipping away at it, and you look up one day and you're a little bit happier about where you are today than where you were yesterday.”
Now, White's third on the team with 49 tackles — three for loss — behind only middle linebacker David Ugwoegbu and weak side linebacker Danny Stutsman. He also understands much more about the Cheetah position than when he started, from where the other players are around him in the specific calls to what opposing offenses are planning based on formations and pre-snap movement.
He can even help others with his knowledge and adjustability. He’ll sometimes yell at Ugwoegbu or the safeties behind him if he notices something they should be aware of.
White will look to put together another strong performance when the Sooners take on Baylor at 2 p.m. Saturday in Norman. After missing OU’s loss to the Bears in Waco last season, he’s eager to prove his prowess in his new position against the reigning Big 12 Champions.
“I feel like there was a lot of things this whole time that I did at a pretty high level, and so you just put reps on top of those things and kind of get to a place where now I feel like I'm pretty comfortable,” White said. “And I can only imagine where I’ll be in a few weeks.”
