College Football's Most Important Players in 2026: No. 20 DT David Stone, Oklahoma

He was supposed to be a star from the moment he arrived in Norman. The consensus five-star recruit out of IMG Academy and Del City, Oklahoma, was rated as high as the No. 5 overall prospect in the 2024 class.

Two years later, David Stone, the 6-foot-3, 315-pound defensive tackle, has made good on the billing and enters 2026 as one of the top 25 most important players in college football.

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No. 20: David Stone, DT, Oklahoma Sooners

Stone played all 13 games as a true freshman in 2024 but logged only 94 defensive snaps and finished with six tackles. What happened between his freshman and sophomore seasons nearly derailed everything.

He entered the transfer portal over Easter weekend in April 2025, sending shockwaves through the program. Two days later, he withdrew and returned to Oklahoma after conversations with defensive tackles coach Todd Bates and former Sooners defensive end Ethan Downs.

Oklahoma Sooners defensive lineman David Stone (0) played like a difference-maker in 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"A lot of personal things (were) going on," Stone said that August. "(But) I'm glad to be back. I'm focused on the season."

Bates rewarded that commitment with a simple prediction before the 2025 season: a breakout was coming.

"He's been a model of consistency," Bates said. "He's really craving coaching and understanding, and he's actually the smartest player in the room."

From rotational piece to full-time starter

Stone appeared in all 13 games last season with two starts, leading Oklahoma's defensive tackles with 42 total tackles while adding 8.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, six quarterback hurries and a pass breakup. His 26 pressures tied for third among SEC defensive tackles.

Pro Football Focus charted him with a 13.0% run-stop rate, second in FBS behind only Ohio State's Kayden McDonald. He closed the regular season with a sack and four pressures against Auburn and posted two QB hurries in Oklahoma's College Football Playoff first-round game against Alabama.

PFF ranked Stone No. 31 on its top-50 players list for 2026. The Walter Camp Football Foundation named him a second-team preseason All-American in late June. CBS Sports listed him among its 26 "most-feared" defensive players entering the fall.

Multiple 2027 NFL mock drafts already project him as a first-round selection, with CBS Sports slotting him at No. 15 to the New York Jets and Saturday Blitz placing him at No. 21 to the Dallas Cowboys. PFF put him at No. 9 on its way-too-early 2027 big board.

What makes Stone's upcoming junior season so pivotal for Oklahoma is what departed. Gracen Halton and Damonic Williams, two senior defensive tackles who anchored the rotation in 2025, are gone. Stone is expected to start alongside Jayden Jackson, his former IMG Academy teammate and close friend, on the interior of a defensive line that helped the Sooners finish No. 6 nationally in total defense and No. 3 against the run.

He missed most of spring practice while wearing a boot and did not participate in the spring game, though he appeared in full pads during one open session before Bates waved him off from contact.

Lofty expectations for Stone to anchor defense in 2026

Head coach Brent Venables singled out Stone by name during a June appearance on SEC Network when discussing the homegrown players who have built his defense into a contender.

"That's a group of guys who are incredibly invested in our program, have been here," Venables said.

If Stone takes the next step from productive rotational piece to dominant starter, Venables has a defensive tackle capable of commanding double teams and freeing up edge rushers Taylor Wein and Adepoju Adebawore on a front built to compete for the SEC title.

David Stone (6’3 310) Oklahoma

✅ Quick to shoot gaps
✅ Reported 35” arm length
✅ 26 pressures during 2025
✅ 13.0% stop rate was among the highest for any defender in the country during the 2025 season pic.twitter.com/rB4ZScvIA3
— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) July 9, 2026

EA Sports seems to agree. College Football 27 rated Stone at 94 overall, the No. 1 defensive tackle in the game.

The pass-rush production is where the growth needs to show. Two career sacks across 26 games leaves room to develop, and scouts want to see the pressure totals translate into more finishes behind the line.

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