Why OU football's David Ugwoegbu had to make a 'big change' to compete at linebacker

NORMAN — David Ugwoegbu knew it was wrong.

When the senior OU linebacker used to get hungry late at night, he would usually choose to snack on chocolate and various candies.

It was far from the healthiest option. But Ugwoegbu, who was recruited out of high school as a defensive end, got pretty good at justifying it.

"OK, I'm heavy," Ugwoegbu would tell himself. "But I'm really a defensive end at the end of the day."

That got harder to justify, though. Ugwoegbu's time on the defensive line dwindled throughout his first three seasons at OU, and he found himself playing linebacker more times than not.

Ugwoegbu's epiphany came last season. Slotted primarily at middle linebacker, the then-junior Sooner recorded a career-best 49 tackles including 1.5 tackles for loss.

That was the motivation Ugwoegbu needed to make a change.

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"My goal this offseason was to lose weight in order for me to have a better quick twitch reaction and be able to change direction better," Ugwoegbu said. "It started with changing my diet, which was a big, big change in my lifestyle."

But he stuck to it.

Ugwoegbu now snacks on fruit rather than chocolate and candy, and that has helped him enter this upcoming season in the best shape of his career. After banking on a return to the defensive line for years, the 6-4, 237-pound senior now knows where he belongs.

"I found my identity," Ugwoegbu said. "I had to look in that mirror and tell myself 'I'm a linebacker, and to excel at this position I'm going to have to drop a couple of pounds.' That's exactly what I did."

Ugwoegbu finds himself in a competition with Danny Stutsman for the starting middle linebacker spot.

A 6-4, 238-pound sophomore, Stutsman established himself as one of OU's more promising young prospects last season. He recorded 38 total tackles including 1.5 tackles for loss in 10 game appearances.

"We know we've got a big position battle going on," Ugwoegbu said. "But that doesn't do anything but make us better every single day... We just go back and forth, whether it's practice or whether it's workouts. But I wouldn't want it any other way."

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The starting strongside spot is also an ongoing battle between Shane Whitter and Clayton Smith.

Whitter is the experienced option. The 6-foot, 225-pound junior played in all 13 games last season and finished with 27 total tackles (2 TFL).

Smith is the high-upside option. After being rated as a five-star prospect by Rivals, the 6-4, 231-pound redshirt freshman recorded three total tackles in four game appearances last season.

“The thing I like about that group is there’s a lot of competition," OU defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Ted Roof said. "There's competition for starting jobs, and there’s going to be competition for playing time. Anytime there’s competition, that makes everybody better."

The only starting spot that doesn't appear to be up for grabs is weakside linebacker, where DaShaun White is the undisputed top option.

The 6-foot, 218-pound veteran recorded a career-high 66 total tackles (5 TFL) for loss last season as a senior and opted to return for his fifth and final year of eligibility.

White provides some much-needed leadership for the group after it watched star linebackers Nik Bonitto (Denver Broncos) and Brian Asamoah (Minnesota Vikings) get selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.

"When you get into it with guys who have played that many number of snaps in their career, it certainly should (help)," Roof said. "If you look across a lot of teams that win national championships, they’re older... Guys that are battle-tested, and you like that."

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OU's linebacker group took a hit in depth with the recent injury to T.D. Roof. The redshirt senior, who is the son of Ted Roof, will miss the entire upcoming season due to a bicep injury that requires surgery.

Fortunately for the Sooners, they have a trio of true freshmen who hope to carve out an immediate reserve role.

Kobie McKinzie is a 6-3, 225-pound middle linebacker who came out of high school as a consensus four-star prospect. He was rated as the 91st-best player in his class by ESPN.

Jaren Kanak is another consensus four-star prospect who came in at No. 132 on that list. The 6-2, 210-pound linebacker originally committed to Clemson but followed Brent Venables to Norman.

Kip Lewis is the third and final true freshman linebacker with a consensus four-star tag. The 6-2, 200-pound prospect chose OU over programs such as Texas, USC and Oklahoma State.

More:Which players have committed to Oklahoma football's 2023 recruiting class?

OU linebacker depth chart

Name, Class, Ht., Wt., Hometown (Previous school)

The starters

DaShaun White, 5YR., 6-0, 218, North Richland Hills, Texas (North Richland)

Danny Stutsman, So., 6-4, 238, Windermere, Fla. (Foundation Academy)

Shane Whitter, Jr., 6-0, 225, Burlington, N.C. (Walter M. Williams)

The reserves

David Ugwoegbu, Sr., 6-4, 237, Katy, Texas (Seven Lakes)

Clayton Smith, RFr., 6-4, 231, Queen City, Texas (Texas HS)

Kobe McKinzie, Fr., 6-2, 236, Lubbock, Texas (Lubbock-Cooper)

Jaren Kanak, Fr., 6-2, 221, Hays, Kan. (Hays)

Kip Lewis, Fr., 6-1, 205, Carthage, Texas (Carthage)

Joseph Weté, RJr., 6-4, 230, Washington, D.C. (Gonzaga HS)

Jake McCoy, RJr., 6-3, 231, Edmond (Edmond North)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football: David Ugwoegbu improved diet to compete at linebacker