Oklahoma DT David Stone 'On Verge of Breakout,' Per Assistant Coach

David Stone originally planned to leave Oklahoma but chose to stay at the last minute.

The defensive lineman, a true freshman in 2024, entered the transfer portal on April 18 but withdrew his name just two days later, opting to continue playing for the Sooners.

Todd Bates felt a sense of relief when Stone made that decision.

Bates, Oklahoma’s co-defensive coordinator and defensive tackles coach, expects Stone to be one of the most impactful players on OU’s defense.

“He has shown all the things that he’s going to take the next step,” Bates said at Thursday’s OU Football Coaches Luncheon. “He’s on the verge of a breakout.”

Stone came to OU with sky-high expectations.

He was a consensus 5-star and top-30 prospect, ranked the No. 5 recruit in the Class of 2024 by Rivals. Stone played high school football at IMG Academy — one of the best programs in the nation — and helped the school go 10-0 as a senior in 2023.

Stone saw a heavy workload in his first season with the Sooners. The defensive tackle appeared in all 13 games for OU, finishing his true freshman year with six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.

Those numbers were modest, but Stone had to compete for reps in a deep defensive tackle room that featured impact players like Damonic Williams, Da’Jon Terry, Gracen Halton and Jayden Jackson.

Terry is the only one of that group that is no longer with the program (graduation), meaning the room will be similarly deep in 2025. Still, Bates sees Stone being a key contributor based on how the defensive tackle has performed throughout the offseason.

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“He’s put in the work,” Bates said. “He’s up there like a coach studying. It’s natural, it’s going to happen for him as long as he keeps working.”

Sooners head coach Brent Venables will also serve as OU’s defensive coordinator in 2025 after 2024 coordinator Zac Alley left the program in favor of West Virginia in December. 

Venables’ defensive mastery is well-known.

He served as Clemson’s defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2021, helping the Tigers win two national championships. Venables won the Broyles Award — given to college football’s most outstanding assistant coach — in 2016.

Entering his fourth year in Norman, Venables knows that winning the battle at the line is crucial. He believes Oklahoma’s defensive line is set up well to do so — and Stone plays a major part in that.

“This is a line of scrimmage league,” Venables said. “The hunger, the personalities… we have a lot of guys that bring it at practice. They love to compete. They’ve got a humility to them, let you coach them hard. I think the sum of all of our parts and experience having gone through the SEC, what we can do… everything starts up front, we know that.”

Bates listed Stone as one of the most competitive players on Oklahoma’s defense — and that’s something the coach believes has spread among the entire defense.

“They put both pointer fingers in their ears and they go to work,” Stone said. “You know, now we're getting to see the fruits that come from the labor, the results that come from the work, and the readiness that comes from the preparation. Those guys are just focused on getting tighter and getting better ... They can't get enough coaching. They crave it and they overdeliver on the things that I ask them for so I mean, I'm excited about this group.”