Four-star DL David Stone talks connections to Wisconsin: 'It's like a second home'
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The Wisconsin Badgers have had a rocky week on the recruiting trail this week, with a pair of significant 2023 prospects opting to commit elsewhere.
However, recruiting is ever-changing, and the Badgers are also heavily in pursuit of their top overall targets in the 2024 class at this time.
One such prospect is 2024 defensive lineman David Stone of IMG Academy in Florida.
A top-50 prospect according to the 247 Sports Composite, Stone already boasts scholarship offers from schools across the country, including Arkansas, Baylor, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, and more.
Stone is exploring all of his options early on, but Wisconsin and Tennessee each have an in with the heralded four-star lineman.
"I have a top 10 made, I'll probably be releasing it in the next few months. I'll say, two teams that have made the top 10 that could be surprising are Wisconsin and Tennessee", Stone told Zach Goodall of All Gators during last weekends Under Armour Future 50 Camp.
When asked about the two schools, Stone said, "well Wisconsin, it's like a second home to me. I really just enjoy spending time there, and I feel like I'll be more comfortable playing football and just growing as a person [there]. And Tennessee, they've been growing on me, I'm not gonna lie. I have a teammate that's committed there right now, so I'm talking to him about the school, what he likes there. And then it's just more about making it up to games because I want to see what the atmosphere is like there," Stone said.
The 6-foot-4 junior noted that he has family ties to the state of Wisconsin and UW-Madison, which make them an intriguing option. "I had an uncle who played basketball at Wisconsin. He played in, I want to say in the early 2000s. And then I had an aunt that went to Marquette to play basketball there. But, yeah, a lot of my family members down there on my mom's side of the family. So, anytime, like during the summer, we can just go to a road trip and then we just chill there at my uncle's farm,"
His uncle happens to be former Wisconsin basketball great Marcus Landry, who played at Milwaukee Vincent High School before becoming a multi-year starter under Bo Ryan and ultimately playing in the NBA during the 2009-2010 season.
Despite his close ties to UW, Oklahoma is the clear favorite for Stone early on. But that does not mean that Wisconsin, and others, don't have a chance. Stone attended Wisconsin's home-opener against Penn State last season, and his mother is pushing him to explore schools outside his home state of Oklahoma.
"Most schools are afraid to offer because they feel like I'm already committed to OU. But my mom won't let me commit there, she doesn't want to go in-state at all. So now, it's just more of me exploring my options outside of the state and see what I like," Stone noted during his interview with Goodall.
Next up for Stone is an upcoming unofficial visit to Michigan State on July 29, but for Wisconsin, it will be interesting to see if the Badgers can host him for another visit this fall.
Some other schools also after Stone include Florida, Ohio State, and Oregon, each of which could be close to offering and are hoping to have him on campus soon.
You can check out David Stone's sophomore highlights below.
Related links:
- Wisconsin Badgers defensive line fall camp preview
- Braelon Allen makes the Maxwell Award Watch List
- Wisconsin offers 2025 running back Tory Blaylock out of Texas
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