David Stone Took a Huge Step For Oklahoma in 2025, This Spring Could Be His Path to Superstardom

Norman, Okla. — When David Stone sprinted onto Owen Field last fall clutching the Oklahoma state flag, the symbolism was impossible to miss. The former five-star prospect from nearby Del City was no longer the wide-eyed freshman who had logged fewer than 100 snaps in 2024; he was a sophomore on a mission, and the 2025 season became his personal launching pad.

Stone’s debut campaign had felt underwhelming when measured against the instant impact of high-school teammate Jayden Jackson, who started nine regular-season games. Yet 2025 revealed that Stone’s trajectory merely required patience. After adding functional weight and learning to channel his rare athleticism at defensive tackle, he erupted for 42 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and two sacks while handling a far heavier workload. Coaches inside the program quietly began suggesting that, in a room stacked with veterans, Stone had become the most disruptive force.

The timing of that emergence now proves critical. Oklahoma’s run to the 2025 College Football Playoff cost the Sooners two interior pillars—Damonic Williams and Gracen Halton—who exhausted their eligibility. Their combined production and leadership leave cavernous holes in the 2026 defensive front, and Brent Venables’ staff has no choice but to lean even more heavily on Stone and Jackson this spring.

Venables and line coach Todd Bates have built impressive depth along the defensive line, but the next four weeks will determine whether that depth can translate into SEC-ready starters. Stone’s continued maturation is the lynchpin. If he can refine his hand usage, expand his pass-rush menu and anchor against double-teams, Oklahoma can enter fall camp confident its interior will remain a strength rather than a question mark.

Teammates say Stone has already embraced that responsibility. Throughout 2025 he reminded younger players that Oklahoma’s standard is national-championship or bust, and he publicly held himself accountable after every loss. Coaches believe those vocal strides, coupled with his on-field consistency, signal a player ready to vault from standout sophomore to bona-fide superstar.

Winter strength sessions will add more bulk, yet spring ball is where technique and leadership merge. Stone’s blend of quickness, power and relentless pursuit already evokes comparisons to Gerald McCoy, the last Sooner defensive tackle to earn unanimous All-America honors. Another step forward this March and April could place Stone on every preseason watch list in the country and, more importantly, keep Oklahoma’s championship window propped open in the SEC.

The stage is set, the flag is waving, and the axe is still in hand. For David Stone, the next swing could carve his name among college football’s elite.