David Stone's Pride Goes Beyond his Role as Oklahoma's State Flag Bearer

NORMAN — During a summer workout on the track field east of Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Oklahoma defensive lineman David Stone looked over at the stadium and marveled.

When the Sooners are practicing at the Everest Indoor Training Center, Stone will look up at the banners touting conference and national championship titles and feel that same sense of wonder.

“It brings another level of competitiveness out of you,” Stone said. “You’re playing for something bigger than yourself. In the moment, you might feel like this (stuff) is tough, whatever the case may be. But those same guys who were in the same spot that you want to be, they’ve been doing the same thing at a higher level, and they’ve been working their ass off for it. The blood, sweat and tears that have been on this campus, in these facilities and the locker room, you have to live up to that standard no matter where you come from. That’s something I’ve been trying to keep and uphold across the board with everybody I practice against every day.”

Stone, a sophomore defensive lineman from Del City who finished his high school career at IMG Academy in Florida, briefly entered the transfer portal last spring before having a change of heart.

Now, Stone is not only having a bigger impact on the field, but he’s also becoming one of the drivers of pride in the locker room — pride in work, pride in the school, pride in the team and pride in the state.

Before every game, Robert Spears-Jennings carries an American flag as he leads the team onto the field. Stone carries the Oklahoma flag, waving the blue banner of the state and showing off that pride.

“It just means a lot to me as a person,” Stone said for his reason for carrying the flag. “I’m not sure how everyone else feels about it, but being from Oklahoma, the legacy the Sooners have, the name that follows, it comes with a lot of pride and responsibility, and that’s something that I want to uphold.”

Stone appears to be shouldering that load well.

He’s played at least 40 snaps in each of the last three games after not reaching that mark in the first six when he averaged 28.5 snaps per game.

“He’s a very grounded young guy, cares about people as much as any player I’ve ever been around,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said. “Cares about his opportunity, cares about his family.”

Stone figures to play a significant role for the 11th-ranked Sooners when they take on No. 4 Alabama on the road Saturday (2:30 p.m., ABC).

And though he’ll be far away from home, Stone will still wave the flag with the same enthusiasm.

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He hopes it becomes a tradition for an in-state player to lead the team out with the flag.

“The biggest thing is legacy,” Stone said. “I know it means a lot to ne. … Hopefully we could have an Oklahoma kid do it every year. While I’m here, I know I’ll be that person.”

Stone has also shown that pride in recruiting, helping build the next generation of Sooners much the way players like Danny Stutsman and Ethan Downs did for him.

“I love recruiting because I get to be honest and open with the next generation,” Stone said. “The guys that want to do something like I’m doing, I can give them advice whether it’s about life or the sport of football. At the end of the day, it’s their decision to choose wherever they want to go, but I’m always rooting for us and I’m always going to give them the best advice for them and their situation.”

Stone learned a lot through his freshman year and in the brief time when he entertained leaving.

That knowledge is paying off now.

“The biggest thing I can say is it takes self-awareness,” Stone said of developing the habits that have made his leap possible. “You have to be real with yourself. If you’re not real with yourself, you have no shot here. You have to be able to look in the mirror and be like, ‘OK, I’m not that guy right now but I can be if I apply myself. A lot of guys who are having success today had that same mindset and applied themselves in the work room, the classroom, weight room and practice field. When they got their opportunity, they were ready for it.”

Stone wants to be and has become one of those players, and his role is transcending just what he’s able to accomplish on the field.

“I also wanted to send a message,” Stone said of his commitment to the Sooners on national TV before he signed, “whether you’re from New Jersey, Florida, Oklahoma, it’s the place to be. It’s a dominant place. … This is what it’s about and this is what I stand for.”