Oklahoma Sooners defensive lineman David Stone is enjoying a breakout sophomore season in 2025. He’s a vital part of OU’s defensive tackle rotation that is the strength of the entire team, and one of the best units in the entire country.
Stone, a former five-star plus prospect and a big recruiting win for head coach Brent Venables and his staff in the 2024 class, went to high school at the famous IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. However, Stone actually hails from Del City, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City. He began a new tradition at the start of this season he’s very proud of, and it’s one that reflects his pride in being from the great state of Oklahoma.
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The second-year player runs out of the tunnel before each game holding and waving the state flag of Oklahoma, which adds a sharp contrast to the crimson and cream flags, jerseys, helmets, etc. that otherwise engulf the Sooners on gameday.
“Definitely a tradition,” Stone said. “Hopefully we could have an Oklahoma kid do it every year. While I’m here, I know I’ll be that person. It’s something that, it just means a lot to me as a person. I’m not sure how everyone else feels about it, but being from Oklahoma, the legacy that the Sooners have, the name that follows, it comes with a lot of pride and responsibility and that’s something that I want to uphold.”
Stone briefly entered the transfer portal this spring, but he came back to OU after a couple of days, with Venables, general manager Jim Nagy and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates convincing him to stay in Norman.
Former Sooner Ethan Downs also helped Stone realize he needed to stay. The two were teammates in 2024 when Downs was a senior and Stone was a freshman. Downs is also from Oklahoma, and he and Stone had conversations when the latter was contemplating leaving the Sooners.
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“I was able to sit down and talk with (Ethan Downs) about legacy and what it meant to him,” Stone said back in August. “That played a big part in the reason why I decided to stay … The biggest thing is legacy. It means a lot to me. I know it means a lot to everyone else, but I feel like it’s a big thing here.”
Oklahoma has recruited and signed a lot of in-state players under Venables’ watch, and it’s a special thing to get to play for the flagship university of such a special state. Stone hopes his tradition can catch on for future players after he’s gone, and he’s created a really cool way for hometown players to showcase their pride in being from Oklahoma.
“David’s got tremendous pride in being from this state,” Venables said. “He’s a very grounded young guy, cares about people, as much as any player I’ve ever been around. Cares about his opportunity, cares about his family. He’s a proud Oklahoman. I think that’s something that’s important to him, he represents that, gets an opportunity to represent that on game day. I think it’s pretty cool.”
Stone will be an instrumental piece for OU’s defense going forward in Norman, and that starts with a massive game on Saturday. Oklahoma will pay a visit to Alabama in Week 12, in a game that is basically a must-win if the Sooners want to make the College Football Playoff. Saturday’s game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. CST in Tuscaloosa.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Sooners’ David Stone plays with pride of being an Oklahoman
