All Sooners

Why Top DL Prospect David Stone Likes Oklahoma's 'Energy and Passion'

Less than a week after David Hicks' surprising decision to commit to Texas A&M, Stone offered his thoughts on Hicks, NIL, his upcoming visits and what he really likes about OU.

John E. Hoover

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Even with almost a week to digest it, David Stone says last week’s news about David Hicks was a shocker.

Stone is arguably the top defensive tackle prospect in the 2024 class. Hicks is widely considered the top defensive tackle prospect in the 2023 class.

Hicks’ announcement last week that he was committing to Texas A&M surprised everyone — including Stone.

“All I heard was that he was coming to Oklahoma,” Stone told AllSooners in a recent interview. “He even told the coaches he was about an hour before his announcement.”

Stone said they’ve talked about playing college football together, and that’s still a possibility, Stone said — whether that’s at Oklahoma or Texas A&M or somewhere else.

“Yeah, honestly that’s my guy,” Stone said. “I honestly want to play with him at the next level and dominate side by side. Wish he could of gave me the heads up, but we (talked) about a few things later that night and we figured a few things out.

“Hopefully we can play together at the next level.”

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Stone is the No. 2 defensive lineman in the country, according to both the 247 Sports Composite Rankings and Rivals. Rivals ranks him as the No. 23 prospect overall while 247 Sports has him at No. 21. Both outlets project that Stone will ultimately choose OU. The 4-star prospect is the kind of rare talent on the defensive line that can change the trajectory of Oklahoma program.

He also holds offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, USC, Wisconsin and others.

Stone grew up in the Oklahoma City metro and attended two years of high school at Del City. He’s currently playing his junior season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, and said things are going great.

“I’d say it’s probably been my best year,” Stone said. “I’ve gotten a lot better, stronger and taller. School started slow but I feel I’ve gotten used to everything now.”

Hurricane Ian disrupted things last week. Evacuation wasn’t mandatory, but Stone said he and several teammates left Florida and temporarily went home. Stone put his time off to good use, taking yet another unofficial visit to Oklahoma.

“Well, at first, I didn’t have anything set up,” Stone said, “but I spent the whole day on the campus Thursday. I got to watch practice and everything like that.”

It was a nice escape for the Sooner coaching staff, too, as Stone’s unexpected visit came during a stretch of losing to Kansas State, losing Hicks, and losing to TCU.

Reconnecting with the OU coaching staff, Stone said, helped continue to build those all-important bonds with Brent Venables, Todd Bates, Miguel Chavis and others.

“The energy and passion that they bring to the table, plus the understanding and knowledge of the game, mixed with their prior success at Clemson, seems second to none,” Stone said.

Stone said his two leaders are OU and Michigan State, but said Texas A&M and a few others are on that next tier and are not off the table. It’s his relationship with a coaching staff and what he feels is their ability to develop him as a man and as a player that is what will ultimately win his heart.

“If I can’t trust you to develop me into the man I want to be,” Stone said, “then I can’t see myself there for them 3-4 years.”

One thing that won’t win Stone’s heart, said, is promises of a big Name, Image and Likeness deal. It wasn’t necessarily directly related to Hicks’ announcement, but soon afterward, Stone felt compelled to post a message to social media.

Asked to elaborate on that post, Stone simply said there are bigger things out there than a quick NIL payday.

“There’s been tons of people who automatically make the assumption of athletes are making their decisions based on money and that’s the end-all be-all,” Stone said. “But I feel as (for) me personally, I have absolute faith that I’ll be playing on Sundays, and for me to make a short-term decision of going to a school because they pay me $3-4 million but can’t develop me to be the player I want to be, is simply dumb when I can make 10x as much in the (NFL).”

To that end, Todd Bates’ track record at Clemson would seem to give Oklahoma an edge. Stone was impressed by the capacity crowd and atmosphere at the Spring Game in April, but wasn’t able to attend the “Party at the Palace” recruiting event over the summer. He did, however, send his family in his absence.

He said he’ll take a visit to Norman for the Bedlam game on Nov. 19, after he visits Michigan State on Oct. 15 (he’s friend with Norman Community Christian edge rusher and Spartans commitment Bai Jobe) and Tennessee on Oct. 29.

“I’ve always had a great relationship with the (OU) coaches,” Stone said. “I’ve just never had a chance to make it to a game. But when I went to the spring game, the atmosphere there was incredible.”

Stone said he’s been an OU fan for years — even if that fandom began with some reluctance.

“My dad used to make me watch the games growing up,” Stone said. “At first I wasn’t really a fan of the sport, but after I started to play little league myself, I understand a lot more of what was happening they started to grow on me.”

Stone said he’ll continue to press Hicks to play together, wherever it might be.

“A&M’s always been high in my eyes before Hicks and before the NIL rule changes,” Stone said, “so regardless of what happens over there or the players coming or not, my relationship and trust I have in the staff alone is strong enough for me to decide to be an Aggie.”

It sounds like Jimbo Fisher and the A&M staff would have to catch up to OU at this point. Stone said “I can honestly say right now” that Oklahoma is “batting it out for that top spot, but there’s a few schools right behind them — if not on the same likelihood of me signing there, come time.”

Stone said he’s visited extensively with players on the Sooners’ roster about Venables and the new coaching staff — and it’s been nothing but positive.

“They tell me stories about the old staff and they tell me what it’s like now, which is all good things,” Stone said, “but I want to know how it really is at the schools I’m considering. Because I don’t want to get on campus and it be a complete shock to me of how things really (are).

“Honestly, I can’t find nothing I don’t like about them. It’s just a wonderful place all around.”

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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