Oklahoma DT David Stone Among 'Most Improved' Defensive Players

After a quiet first season with the Sooners, defensive lineman David Stone has earned praise from teammates and coaches during the offseason.

Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN — David Stone and Jayden Jackson followed similar paths to Oklahoma.

Stone and Jackson, both defensive tackles, played at IMG Academy (Florida) together before signing with OU as part of the Class of 2024. Stone was a consensus 5-star prospect, while Jackson earned a 4-star grade by 247Sports and Rivals and a 3-star grade by ESPN and On3.

Both of them appeared in all 13 games as true freshmen last year — but Jackson played the bigger role in 2024.

Jackson started 10 games and finished the year with 30 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. He earned Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and ESPN Freshman All-American honors.

Stone, on the other hand, didn’t log a start and ended his freshman campaign with only six tackles and one sack.

While Stone hasn’t yet delivered on the lofty expectations that come with being a 5-star, Jackson expects him to.

“I’ve seen a hungry guy,” Jackson said. “This season, he definitely wants it.”

It’s easy to see why Stone was graded as a 5-star.

He registered 50 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, five sacks and nine quarterback hurries as a junior in 2022 before helping IMG Academy go 10-0 in 2023. And with a 6-3, 295-pound frame, Stone stood out to practically every major program as a future difference-maker.

Stone isn’t satisfied with how his first season went. And per Jackson, Stone’s work ethic has been tangibly different in 2025.

“He kind of had an awakening moment,” Jackson said. “He’s in the film room with (defensive tackles coach Todd Bates) the most on the defensive tackle group. He probably knows the most ball on the defensive tackle group, and it’s just amazing to see that from where he came from last year.”

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The expected result of Stone’s productive offseason? Reaching — and eventually exceeding — his 5-star aspirations.

“Probably the most improved of the d-tackle group,” Jackson said. “He had a huge jump, and the coaches have seen that.”

Jackson and Stone are pieces in a deep corps of defensive tackles.

The Sooners return Gracen Halton and Damonic Williams. Williams, who transferred to OU from TCU after the 2023 season, started 12 games in 2024 and totaled 35 tackles. Halton only started three times last year but finished with six tackles for loss and five sacks.

Other defensive tackles include Ace Hodges and Markus Strong, both of whom played minimally in 2024, and true freshman Trent Wilson.

Even in a position group with so much talent, Brent Venables believes the same thing that Jackson does — that Stone will be a reliable option for the Sooners’ defensive line in 2025.

“That man is fighting to be a starter,” Venables said. “He’s showing up every day like it matters to him and has taken another really big step.”

Oklahoma begins the 2025 season against Illinois State on Saturday, Aug. 30.