Oklahoma Sooners defender could be up for an elite and prestigious award that’s named after one of his coaches
The Oklahoma Sooners are lucky to have a guy like David Stone, who’s up for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award Watch List
The Oklahoma Sooners produce great football players, but they also produce great men. Defensive tackle David Stone, one of the best players in the country and a likely first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, earned a spot on the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award watch list.
Oklahoma announced the news on its social media channels, and the honor carries special significance given that the award is named after Sooners tight end coach Jason Witten.
The award honors the FBS football player who shows exceptional leadership, courage, integrity, and sportsmanship on and off the field. Last year, Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez won the award, which was handed out on April 16. The winner’s school athletic scholarship fund also receives a $10,000 contribution from Witten’s SCORE Foundation.
What this says about Brent Venables’ culture
This is the type of story you love to see coming out of Norman. Stone’s nomination speaks directly to the culture Brent Venables has built at Oklahoma. Venables runs a program that prioritizes developing men, not just football players. He’s a player’s coach who has built genuine relationships with his guys over the past few years, and one of his core messages is simple: be a good person.
That culture has driven OU’s recruiting success. The style Venables brings and the standards he sets have drawn top recruits to Norman, and Stone is a prime example of someone who has bought in completely. From his freshman year to now, Stone has matured tremendously, and it’s easy to see how much of Venables’ influence he has absorbed into his everyday life.
Sure, David Stone is probably going to the NFL. He’s probably going to be a good player. He’s already off to a decent start this season. But what matters more is what you’re about when football isn’t there. What are your morals? What are your standards for yourself outside the game? That’s what Venables cares about, and that’s why he pushes his players so hard. He’s building men, and Stone is proof of that.
Stone is very deserving of being on this watch list. Now it’s a matter of waiting to see if he wins the award at the end of the year. Sooners fans will certainly be pulling for him, because this is a guy who deserves something like this. And it probably doesn’t hurt that Witten, the man the award is named after, coaches Stone every day in Norman. There might be a little bias there, and nobody would blame him for it.
