Starting Oklahoma Sooners linebacker will return for 2022 season
Oklahoma Sooners linebacker DaShaun White will return to Norman for the 2022 season, he posted on Twitter. It will mark his fifth season in the crimson and cream.
White finished third on the team in tackles this past season with 60, which also marked a career high. He has 158 tackles (13 for loss) and 3.5 sacks throughout his four-year career.
A member of the 2018 class, White was one of the first recruits for former Sooners coach Lincoln Riley. The Texas native was a four-star and the No. 184 overall prospect according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He committed to the Sooners over offers from Baylor, Texas, UCLA and others.
White immediately made an impact at Oklahoma, playing in all 14 of the Sooners’ games as a true freshman. By the next season he was already a starter, finishing fourth on the team in tackles (52).
Oklahoma finished the 2021 season with an 11-2 record after taking out Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. The Sooners hired Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables as Riley’s replacement.
Sooners linebacker Brian Asamoah and edge defender Nik Bonitto have already declared for the 2022 NFL draft, leaving the position thin for next season. As one of the veterans coming back, White will likely be counted on a leader for the group.
Oklahoma finished ninth in the Big 12 ahead of only Texas Tech in total defense this past season. With Venables’ history leading defenses, that number is likely to improve in the coming seasons. Ted Roof, Todd Bates and Jay Valai will serve as co-defensive coordinators for the upcoming year. Appalachian State linebacker TD Roof, son of Ted Roof, transferred to the Sooners this offseason.
Oklahoma is set to open its 2022 season against the UTEP Miners on Sept. 3.