Grand Gesture: Oklahoma Linebacker Danny Stutsman Giving $50K Of His Own NIL Earnings To Sooner Walk-Ons

While we see new NIL deals being announced every day in college athletics, Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman is doing something a little different with $50,000 of his own money that he makes off his Name, Image and Likeness. Giving it to walk-ons who play for the Sooners. 

Some of the most important players in college athletics are the guys who aren't on scholarship with a school, but bust their tails every day in practice to make sure their team is prepared for an upcoming game. Life as a walk-on is not the most glamorous position on a football team, most of the time they're used in practice on the scout-team, or as an extra body. 

If you were to ask college football players who are the guys that check their egos at the door, and give 110% every week during the season, I promise you those star athletes would point straight towards the lockers of the walk-on athletes. 

No, they aren't getting the massive amounts of money that starters, or even backups, are getting. They show up to the facility every single day for the love of the game, and maybe that one shot to see the field during a regular season game. 

So when you see your favorite team take the field every Saturday, just know that there are a group of guys who go through the week making sure the guys who see the field are ready for their opponent. That's why it's never lost on the star players that the walk-ons are such an integral part of the team. 

DALLAS, TEXAS - JULY 16: Danny Stutsman of the Olkahoma Sooners speaks during SEC Football Media Days at Omni Dallas Hotel on July 16, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.  (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Danny Stutsman Makes Sure Oklahoma Walk-Ons Receive Financial Help

For Oklahoma All-American linebacker Danny Stutsman, who returned for another season looking to help the Sooners program continue to build towards the future, he made sure that those walk-on players knew how much he appreciated their efforts on the practice field. 

On Wednesday, as the Sooners continued to prepare for their season-opener against Temple, Stutsman had an announcement to make in front of the whole team. As he stood at the front of the meeting room, the Oklahoma linebacker shared his feelings for those group of walk-on players, along with something else. 

"Obviously there's days where you feel like your hard work doesn't get seen, doesn't get noticed," Danny Stutsman told his teammates. "But it really does here at Oklahoma. Every single day, we appreciate you guys. This team would be nothing without you guys. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I truly do mean that. I feel like I have a really good connection with all of you guys. 

"I just know how much you put into this program... With that being said, I want to donate some of my NIL earnings to you guys so you guys can have a little something else. After the meetings, this will be in your lockers."

And just like that, Stutsman made sure those guys knew how much they meant to the football team, and the Oklahoma family. Along with giving them a portion of his NIL earnings, which is a good amount, he also gifted them a JBL package as well. 

That gesture is why Danny Stutsman is a leader in the Oklahoma locker room and on the field.