How David Stone’s New ‘Perspective’ has Allowed him to Lead Oklahoma’s D-line

NORMAN — Oklahoma defensive lineman David Stone carries extremely high expectations into his junior year.

Stone, whose game took a massive step forward in 2025, earned preseason all-american honors from several publications. The SEC’s coaches also named him to the preseason all-conference second team.

Now, it’s time for Stone to live up to those expectations.

“I’m ready to go hit someone in the mouth,” Stone said.

Stone was a consensus 5-star recruit out of high school. But it still took him time to adjust to the college level.

As a true freshman in 2024, the defensive tackle appeared in all 13 of OU’s games but only registered six total tackles. Stone actually entered the transfer portal in the 2025 spring, but he ultimately opted to return to OU after only a couple of days in the portal.

Stone said that former Oklahoma defensive tackle Gracen Halton — a four-year Sooner who was selected in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers — showed him tough love early on, helping him mold into the player and leader he is today.

“Gracen used to be on me hard, all the time,” Stone said. “Looking back at it, I remember in the moment, I was like, ‘Why is he so hard on me.’ Now I’m in this position as a leader, so I see why. It’s just eye-opening, and now I have a different perspective on how to be a player and how to attack everything.”

Halton’s stern leadership paid off, evidently.

As a sophomore in 2025, Stone registered 42 total tackles, 16 solo tackles, eight tackles for loss, four quarterback hurries and 1.5 sacks. Along with Halton, Damonic Williams and Jayden Jackson, Stone helped the Sooners’ defensive line become one of the nation’s strongest.

Now, Stone and Jackson, both juniors, are the veterans in the defensive tackle room. With several younger players behind them battling for playing time, Stone remembers that he was in their shoes not too long ago — and that has allowed him to embrace his new leadership role.

“I can kind of relate to the guys cause I know how they’re feeling,” Stone said. “I know how to try to meet them where they’re at. That’s the biggest thing for me right now — trying to meet the guys where they’re at and try to pull them to another level and bring it out of them.”

Stone believes that OU’s defense can be even better than it was in 2025 when the Sooners led the SEC in total defense (272.5 yards allowed per game), scoring defense (15.2 points allowed per game) and sacks (45).

The 6-foot-3, 315-pound defensive tackle said that he and his teammates — both young and older — have become more mature over the last several months. That has been a key point of emphasis for Stone as a leader, and he believes that maturity and discipline can take the defense even further in 2026.

“We want to be a team that not only goes to the College Football Playoff but makes a good run, so discipline is what separates those teams at the top. We have to have that,” Stone said. “Discipline is something I think our team has made a big jump in. Not that it was ever an issue, but it’s something that we’re looking to improve on and stack and get better on.”

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