How Sophomores Jayden Jackson and David Stone Give Oklahoma a Chance to be 'Great'

NORMAN — A pair of Oklahoma sophomores ran the show against Auburn on Saturday.

Defensive tackles Jayden Jackson and David Stone turned the clock back a few years.

The duo dominated high school competition together at IMG Academy, and they were at the center of OU’s dominant defensive line performance in the No. 7 Sooners’ 24-17 win over the Tigers.

Stone and Jackson both finished tied for third on the team with five total tackles.

Stone had four solo tackles and one sack, while Jackson finished with a career-best 2.5 sacks.

Oklahoma Sooners, David Ston — Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone sacks Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

“He was so good,” OU head coach Brent Venables said of Jackson. “Played vertical all day, physical all day, unblocked a lot and really affected the game interior-wise.

“When you’re really strong up the middle on your defense, man, you have a chance to become a great unit.”

The five tackles represented a career-high for both Stone and Jackson.

Per Pro Football Focus, Stone has been Oklahoma’s fourth-highest graded defensive player in 2025, and he’s OU’s highest graded defensive lineman.

He’s graded out at 83.8 through four games, with an 89.0 run defense grade.

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Jackson isn’t far behind. He’s the second-highest graded defensive lineman who has played significant snaps this year.

PFF has Jackson at a 71.6 overall grade, with a 70.5 pass rushing grade and a 63.3 run defense grade.

“Elite. That’s the one word I could say for him,” defensive end R Mason Thomas said of Jackson. “Elite. It’s just all-around. He’s just a stud. And he’s only a sophomore.”

Thomas has been blown away by Stone’s play, too.

“He’s 19, too. Sophomore,” Thomas said. “So it’s just like, we’ve got dogs. Nobody wants to have no cats. All dogs.”

Heading into the first bye week of the season, Oklahoma ranks sixth in tackles for loss per game (9.2) and the Sooners are tied for first in team sacks (16).

Buffalo, Maryland and USC all have 16 sacks as well, but none of those teams have played a pair of opponents as strong as Michigan and Auburn thus far.

Five different OU defensive linemen sacked Jackson Arnold on Saturday, and Damonic Williams also added an additional tackle for loss.

Oklahoma’s defensive line is living up to the offseason hype so far, and Jackson and Stone have played a large role in the Sooners’ success.

“We’ve just got, how do you put it, competitive depth,” Thomas said. “Everybody’s itching to get on the field, make some plays. And we’ve got some dogs, like, back to what I’m saying.

“So it’s like competitive depth is the word to put it. I think Coach V says that all the time.”