100 Days to Football Time in Oklahoma: #2 David Ugwoegbu By: Ryan Lewis Posted on: September 1, 2022

Player Profile

Position: Linebacker

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 237

Class: Senior

Seasons at OU: 3

Hometown: Katy, TX

The Path to Norman

David Ugwoegbu, out of Katy, Texas, was a highly ranked prospect with offers from Alabama, Texas A&M, Florida, and other top schools. With his first offer coming over a year and a half before his signing day, he had plenty of time to take his pick of schools. Despite visits to several Texas schools, the Sooners held the lead in his recruitment for some time. Ugweogbu received a visit in January, one short month before his signing day; he committed later that day.

Career so Far

Ugwoegbu played in every game as a true freshman. He was in a reserve spot throughout the first six games. After the season-ending injury to Jon-Michael Terry, Nik Bonitto and Ugwoegbu split the snaps at RUSH. His athleticism was a big selling point as he found his way into the opposing backfield on several occasions.

Year two was even bigger for the linebacker. Transitioning to inside linebacker and putting on good size, Ugwoegbu again played in every game. He started in three games in the back half of the season and finished sixth on the team in total tackles. Ugwoegbu was also a force on special teams, blocking and recovering a punt against Texas. With virtually no offseason to prepare for the transition, the growth he saw at inside linebacker was astounding; he was one of OU’s best defenders by year’s end.

2021 was a similar season for the linebacker. He held to his streak of playing in every game and made four starts, again finishing sixth on the team in tackles. Ugwoegbu also earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors for the year.

Stats

Years: 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Career

Games Played: 13 | 11 | 14 | 38

Tackles: 49 | 34 | 19 | 102

TFL: 1.5 | 3 | 4 | 8.5

Sacks: 0 | 1 | 1 | 2

INT: 0 | 1 | 0 | 1

PBU: 0 | 0 | 1 | 1

Stats via Soonersports.com

Highlights

This Season

Ugwoegbu is set to be the full-time starter in 2022, named starter at MIKE on Monday’s depth chart. Along with Danny Stutsman, DaShaun White, and Shane Whitter, plus three elite freshmen, the OU linebacker group looks ready to be one of its strongest assets this season. Add to that new Coach Venables, known for his work with linebackers, and this group could be special. Now in his fourth season, Ugwoegbu is a veteran of this defense and was named a captain for game one (along with White). Sooner fans will be hoping for a special season from Ugwoegbu and the linebackers.