Why are Danny Stutsman, Billy Bowman & Co. returning for Sooners in 2024? 'We bleed OU'

justin martinez, the oklahoman

Thu, Dec 28, 2023, 1:06 AM·4 min read

SAN ANTONIO — Billy Bowman heard a saying when he first arrived at OU as a wide-eyed freshman in 2021.

"When you come into college, the same people are not going to be there when you leave," Bowman repeated on Tuesday.

That's mostly true.

As OU prepares for its Alamo Bowl game against Arizona at 8:15 p.m. Thursday in San Antonio, its 2021 high school recruiting class is an endangered species.

Bowman is one of just four remaining players from the class, which originally consisted of 15 commits. And after he announced on Dec. 8 that he'll return for his senior season, the veteran safety will be an undisputed leader for OU in 2024.

"What they say is right," Bowman said of the saying. "It just went by in the blink of an eye. ... Now that I'm starting to head into my senior season, I just feel like it's big time to be able to be recognized and be chosen to be up here as a leader of this team.

"I'm just going to continue to keep doing my best in whatever I can."

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Oklahoma's Billy Bowman Jr. (2) intercepts a pass and runs the ball in for a touchdown in the first quarter during an NCAA football game between University of Oklahoma (OU) and Iowa State at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.

OU football's 2021 signing class

The other three remaining players from OU's 2021 high school class are wide receiver Jalil Farooq, linebacker Danny Stutsman and defensive end Ethan Downs.

Downs is the only Oklahoma native on that list. The former Weatherford High standout recorded 28 tackles (6.5 for loss), 4.5 sacks and his first career interception during the regular season.

Of the four remaining players from his class, Downs committed to OU first in 2019. He also became the first one to announce that he'll return for his senior season on Dec. 4.

Bowman and Stutsman then followed suit on Dec. 8 and Dec. 11, respectively. It's a group that has stuck together despite a head coaching change in 2021 when Brent Venables replaced Lincoln Riley.

"We've seen a lot of different coaches, and we've been to a lot of different places," Downs said. "And the expectation has always been the same because that's what it's all about. ... We know what OU means because we picked it from the beginning, and we've been here.

"We've stayed through here through all the chaos and all the craziness of the last three years, and now we're able to build it up as chosen leaders by our peers."

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Oklahoma's Ethan Downs (40) pressures UCF's John Rhys Plumlee (10)in the first half of the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the University of Central Florida Knights at Gaylord Family Oklahoma-Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Oct., 21, 2023.

Jalil Farooq will 'most likely return'

Farooq is the only one who hasn't officially announced his return for his senior season.

When asked about his plans during a media availability on Dec. 12, Farooq said he would "most likely return." Still, he spoke as if his mind was made up.

“I definitely feel like we’ll be the four leaders coming back next year," Farooq said. "We’ve been here. We’ve seen it all. We witnessed it all. ... We’re family. From that class, the people that stayed, they’ve been loyal. We bleed OU."

In a college football world that experiences massive roster turnover every season, OU's remaining 2021 high school signees haven't budged.

Farooq could've easily entered the transfer portal during his underclassman years while standout wide receiver Marvin Mims served as the primary target.

Downs could've done the same this past offseason when OU made his position deeper with the addition of players such as OSU transfer Trace Ford and Wake Forest transfer Rondell Bothroyd.

Bowman and Stutsman could've also declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. Stutsman, in particular, had the chance to get selected in one of the early rounds after he recorded 99 tackles (16 for loss) and three sacks during the regular season.

But he didn't jump ship, and neither has the rest of the group.

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OU linebacker Danny Stutsman (28) celebrates a play next to SMU's Sean Kane (52) in the second half of the Sooners' 28-11 win on Sept. 9 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman.

"I think the heart wanted to stay here," Stutsman said on Dec. 12. "At the end of the day, you can’t turn that down. ... I wasn’t ready to leave this program and all that we’ve built going into Year 3 with Coach Venables. I wasn’t ready to leave just yet.”

Every returning senior is invaluable for OU, which is set to move to the SEC on July 1.

It'll be a great challenge for the Sooners, who'll be without starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel. He transferred to OU on Dec. 9.

But with its senior returners in the mix, OU has the pieces to compete right away in the nation's most stacked conference.

"We've got great leadership," Venables said on Wednesday. "We've got guys that care deeply about their opportunity and care deeply about their teammates. ... The whole principle of finishing what you started. That's what you want to have."

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