There's a scenario in which Sooner Nation could not only cheer together on Saturdays, but also on Sundays.
The 2025 NFL Draft starts at 7 p.m. CT Thursday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and will end on Saturday. That means there are a handful of former Oklahoma Sooners who will soon have a new unknown home, including linebacker Danny Stutsman.
Although there hasn't been any reported serious interest from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Stutsman, multiple outlets have mentioned Stutsman as a potential target for the Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers need a linebacker, and Stustman grew up as a fan of his home-state franchise.
Danny Stutsman could team up with Baker Mayfield on home-state Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Already in Tampa Bay is former OU Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Baker Mayfield, who was the No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Buccaneers also added former OU wide receiver Sterling Shepard last year.
Mayfield as a Sooner Nation all-time favorite in Tampa Bay has the Buccaneers already as one of the most popular NFL teams in the state of Oklahoma. And Stutsman could be the most beloved Sooner since Mayfield left Norman, so if he did join the Buccaneers, a state with no professional football team could get a common rooting interest, at least for those who wear crimson.
Going to Tampa Bay would also be the perfect situation for Stutsman. He grew up in nearby Windermere, Florida, about 85 miles from Tampa, and admitted during the NFL Scouting Combine that he hoped to hear from the Bucs.
Plus, there's that bonus Oklahoma connection, giving Stutsman ties to both places he has called home after playing his entire four-year career at OU.
"They've had a lot of great teams in the past," Stutsman said at the NFL Combine. "Right now with Baker Mayfield, you know, that's an Oklahoma guy. It's a really exciting time for Tampa Bay."
Oklahoma LB Danny Stutsman says he hasn’t met with the Buccaneers yet, but that he wants to — they were one of the teams he watched growing up in Windmere, FL. Here’s what he said about the Bucs: pic.twitter.com/sxW8tOhv0b
— River Wells (@riverhwells) February 26, 2025
Stutsman has been projected to go anywhere between the second and fourth rounds as a likely Day 2 pick. The Buccaneers have a pick in all three of those rounds with the 53rd pick in the second round, 84th in the third and 121st in the fourth.