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Report: Oklahoma linebacker Shane Whitter to miss rest of season with shoulder injury

Wade-Peeryby: Wade Peery10/06/22
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Oklahoma linebacker Shane Whitter will miss the rest of the 2022 season due to a left shoulder injury, according to Parker Thune of 247sports.com. The season-ending injury leaves the Sooners with just four active scholarship linebackers. This season, Whitter tallied eight tackles in four games for Oklahoma. Since the Sooners’ linebacker depth is so thin, the injury could force Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables to burn the redshirt of Kobie McKinzie and Kip Lewis. Both were four-star prospects in the Sooners’ 2022 recruiting class.

The news comes on the heels of a humiliating defeat last weekend for Oklahoma, when their defense was blowtorched by the TCU Horned Frogs, 55-24. In 2021, Whitter played in all 13 games for the Sooners, racking up 27 tackles, two tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, and a fumble recovery.

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Due to the unfortunate end of his 2022 season, Whitter will take a medical redshirt and retain a year of eligibility, which will allow him to play all the way through the 2025 season, if he chooses to do so. The depth for Oklahoma’s linebacker room was already thin, something Venables highlighted in his press conference last week. The four active scholarship linebackers for the Sooners are currently: DaShaun White, David Ugwoebu, Danny Stutsman, and Jaren Kanak.

Oklahoma’s linebacker depth was hurting even before the 2022 season started. T.D. Roof suffered a season-ending torn bicep during an August practice. Joseph Wete quit the team shortly before the Sooners’ season opener.

Simply put, the Oklahoma secondary was leaving TCU wide receivers completely wide-open last Saturday. There’s no way to sugarcoat it. We’ll see if they can get things corrected before their Red River Rivalry showdown this weekend with the Texas Longhorns.

Oklahoma and Texas will face off on Saturday, Oct. 8. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 PM EST. The game will be nationally televised on ABC.