‘He kind of had an awakening moment’ – Oklahoma Sooners have a player who everyone is expecting to make an insane jump in 2025
Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners are incredibly high on David Stone for 2025.
We all know the five-star that is set to be the cornerstone of the offense in Michael Fasusi, but the Oklahoma Sooners had another five-star, according to a few recruiting sites, in David Stone the year before that.
The 2024 class wasn’t elite. However, it had some really good players, including players who made some significant plays throughout the year, like Eli Bowen, who quickly became the team’s best cornerback. And, Stone did, too, although the start of his career wasn’t quite what he had hoped.
But with the season opener this week, Stone looks the most improved player from this offseason.
Sooners DL David Stone is impressing everyone
One of the reasons the Sooners have one of the best defensive lines in the country is that they have players like Stone, who are future stars in the SEC, but are playing depth roles because it’s not their time yet.
Last year, he was a rotational guy, and that’s probably not what he envisioned for himself, but that’s the reality of coming into a program like Oklahoma, no matter what your star rating is. Rather than sulk in it and transfer to a different program, Stone made some changes.
And now, his teammates and coaches can’t stop talking about him.
“That man right there, most improved on the defensive tackle group,” defensive lineman Jayden Jackson said. “He had a huge jump. The coaches have seen that. His grades have been phenomenal. This season, he definitely wants it. He kind of had an awakening moment. 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.”
Stone has the potential to be a game wrecker in the SEC, which is good enough to get you drafted pretty high. This year, the Sooners are set to have some insane depth on the defensive line, and we know Brent Venables will rotate some guys in and out to keep everyone fresh.
Stone will be ready for whatever his role is, even if that means thrusting him into the starting lineup because of injuries or something of that nature.
“He has taken another really big step,” Venables said.
It’s clear that everyone is confident in what Stone will bring to the 2025 season.
