Why DL Signee David Stone is ‘Grateful’ for Opportunity at Oklahoma

When 5-star defensive lineman David Stone announced his commitment to Oklahoma in late August, Sooners fans breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The Del City, OK, native had been out of his home state for a few years, and was rumored to be heavily considering the Miami Hurricanes.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

As OU transitions into the SEC, fans and coaches alike recognized how important it would be to bring in a big-time defensive lineman like Stone, especially since he was originally from the Sooner State. Brent Venables and company made Stone a priority in the 2024 class since arriving in Norman, and the staff’s hard work finally paid off when Stone signed with Oklahoma last Wednesday.

While fans and coaches are both ecstatic that the Sooners added one of the top defensive lineman in the country, Stone himself said that he is also happy that he was able to return to Oklahoma to play at the next level.

“I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to come back home. Most people grow up wishing they had an offer from Oklahoma, and I was fortunate enough to get that opportunity, and I’m forever grateful for the coaches and the staff that believes in me,” Stone told AllSooners on National Signing Day. “I’m going to take full advantage of this opportunity to be a dominant and great athlete to, you know, come out of Oklahoma and put on for the state.”

To take full advantage of his opportunity, Stone knows that he will not only have to work hard and rely on his physical gifts, but also will have to prepare for life in college football and the SEC. While some prospects aren’t aware of just how much work it takes to succeed at OU upon arriving to campus, the 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive lineman knows that there are sacrifices that come with being successful at such a high level.

While playing for an impressive high school program like IMG surely helped Stone develop some of this mentality, the incoming freshman’s maturity is evident, especially when discussing what it will take for him to achieve his goals.

“It’s the little things, preparation, it only leads to success. My dad tells you man, it’s all in the preparation of what you do and that’s how you succeed. For me, it means mentally locking in before games, you know, just to take a few minutes to visualize my successes on the field, which I do that before every game,” Stone said.

“Man, i’m visualizing right now making plays in the SEC. The thing is man, it takes little things. Eating the right foods, discipline, going to sleep every night on time, waking up and getting breakfast, going back to workout again, staying consistent with that daily process, that daily grind. It gets boring after a while, but you’ve got to really fall in love with the process if you really want to be good.”

Stone’s drive and maturity combined with his impressive physical skill set give him the potential to become a program-changing player, especially as the Sooners defense continues to reshape itself under Venables. Once he gets on campus, Stone will be the most talented prospect that Todd Bates has worked with since arriving in Norman.

With Oklahoma headed to the SEC, having physical, athletic players in the trenches is a necessity. While teams like Georgia and Alabama are still much deeper than OU on the defensive line, Stone gives the Sooners a star player to focus the future of their defense around.

"I really love the defensive line, and we've talked about that as being something where everything starts up front, as the saying goes," Venables said at his press conference last Wednesday. "That couldn't be more appropriate here with our own David Stone here from the state of Oklahoma via IMG."

At one point in his recruitment, however, it appeared that Venables and company almost missed out on the generational prospect, which would have caused an uproar amongst the OU fanbase. Mykel Patterson-McDonald, a close friend of Stone’s and a 4-star defensive back in the Sooners’ 2024 class, described how worried he was about the Miami Hurricanes sneaking their way back into his friend’s recruitment late in the process.

“It was a rush. A big one. It was a lot of relief, too, because I was kind of worried because Miami, me and him had talked that whole week on the phone, we talked about it, the pros and cons and what he wanted to do. And it was kind of like a last-second decision, kind of,” Patterson-McDonald told AllSooners.

“From like the night before, I had talked to him and it was like, ‘I’m gonna see man. I don’t know yet; we’re gonna see what we’re gonna do.’ I said, ‘All right. You know I want you to come play with me.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, I know.’ Next morning, we wake up, I texted him, he had game day, I was watching his game and halftime came around. I was watching, I seen those hats, I was watching and he was hovering over Miami. I said, ‘Oh no.’ Then he picked up the OU hat, and I was like, ‘Oh, good.’ I kind of knew about that day because I was like, ‘There’s now ay he’s gonna go to Miami. And I had talked to him later and he told me he’s been wanting to go to OU but Miami pushed for him a lot — like, a lot a lot. There’s good coaches there and everything.”

In the end, Stone’s relationships with the Sooners’ coaching staff prevailed for the 5-star prospect, as he ended up choosing Oklahoma before ultimately signing with the team last week. As is the case with a handful of other prospects in the 2024 class, Stone said that he has built a strong bond with Venables and company, saying he speaks with the staff on a daily basis.

“Man, the whole staff, I talked with them a lot. I was here like, three days ago before the dead period, and it was just good vibes all around man. I love these guys, like they’re my staff from back at IMG,” Stone said. “I mean, they’ve been recruiting me for like the last two years, so for me to have that relationship walking into the program, it sets a steady foundation for what’s to come in the locker room environment that I’ll be in once I get to campus (in January).”

As the Del City product prepares to get started working out with the team in January, OU’s staff will finally be able to begin working with their stellar new defensive line class, headlined by Stone.

Follow AllSooners on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest OU news!
Want even more Sooners news? Check out the SI.com OU team page here!
Listen and subscribe to the AllSooners Podcast!
Watch more Sooners videos and subscribe on YouTube!
Sign up for your premium membership to AllSooners.com today, and get access to the entire Fan Nation premium network!