Florida Gators, Elite DL David Stone Jr. Eyeing June Official Visit
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Patience is key in the recruitment of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy defensive lineman David Stone Jr. With 34 reported scholarship offers to his name, Stone has no intentions of rushing into what he hopes will be his only college decision.
His original plan was to make his pledge this summer, but that is no longer a guarantee.
"That was the goal," Stone told All Hurricanes after IMG Academy's spring game on Wednesday. "I mean, man. There's so many great schools, I feel like I just want to make the right choice, you know?
"Everyone has been rushing their commitment, and then they flip somewhere else. I don't want to be that guy. So I feel like once I find the right place for me, I'm locked in. I’m ready to build a [recruiting] class."
A consensus top 10 talent in the 2024 recruiting cycle, Stone hopes his upcoming official visits will shine a light on the ideal situation for his services, on the field and on the recruiting trail.
Where and when exactly most of those trips will take place is yet to be determined, Stone suggested. Only Oklahoma's official visit has been scheduled, as Stone will return to his home-state school from June 16-18 rather than attend the OT7 Finals in Los Angeles, Calif. that weekend.
Florida, Miami, Michigan State and Oregon are among the programs jockeying to host Stone in June, too. With ample reciprocating interest in the recruitment, the Gators are attempting to plan Stone's three-day Gainesville sojourn earlier in the month.
"It's one of the first weekends [of June]," Stone implied. "Some time, either the first, second, third, it's one of them."
Nearly a year prior to his intended visit, at Under Armour's Future 50 camp in July 2022, Stone admitted to All Gators that he was in the early stages of building a relationship with Florida's coaching staff. UF awarded Stone a scholarship offer that September, and he has unofficially visited the program thrice since, including twice this spring.
Stone's bond with Gators head coach Billy Napier, defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong and defensive line coach Sean Spencer has only strengthened along the way.
"I talk to them dang near every day," Stone shared. "I was just talking to them before the game. So, I mean, Florida's been a school I've been high on for a long time."
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What makes Florida such an attractive option for the Oklahoma City, Okla. native?
"I don't know, it's just something about the Gators. I don't know what it is, but ever since my first visit, I fell in love with the place," Stone expressed. "The relationship at the time wasn't there, but man, I still enjoyed myself. Now that I've been around them and got to build a relationship with the staff, it's like, man, I'm even more in love with the place."
Still in need of youthful interior defensive line talent after signing just two such prospects in the class of 2023, the Gators have prioritized top trench-men this year and Stone arguably stands above the rest as a prospect. The 6-foot-4 1/2, 283-pound Stone compiled 25 total tackles, two sacks and eight tackles for loss in four games logged as a junior with the Ascenders, according to 247Sports and MaxPreps.
Stone produced 66 tackles, 10 sacks and 24 tackles for loss in two varsity seasons with Del City (Okla.) High before his transfer to IMG Academy.
Stone has toured the country this spring, having taken five unofficial trips to Michigan State, three to Miami, two to Florida and Oklahoma, and one to each of Texas A&M, Oregon, LSU, Southern California and Washington.
Although he's keeping most confirmed details close to the vest, Stone is aware of the programs he certainly would like to officially visit. It would appear Florida is one of them.
"I have a pretty good idea," Stone hinted.
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