A wild saga in Norman has come to a favorable end for Oklahoma on Easter Sunday.
After entering the transfer portal on Friday night, David Stone has withdrawn his name and will return to the Sooners.
The sophomore defensive tackle has decided to stay put amid a chaotic turn of events that initially saw him hit the portal and look to play elsewhere with three years of eligibility remaining. However, after several members of the OU staff and roster got involved in a push this weekend to keep him around, he has changed course and will stay in Norman.
Stone’s initial entry into the portal sent shockwaves across the program. Numerous people tied to the program took to social media within minutes of the news.
Man 😕
— Jayden Jackson (@JaydenJackson65) April 19, 2025
It was that much more surprising since Stone talked to the media earlier this month, discussing how much he had grown as a player since arriving in Norman last spring.
“I feel like for myself, I had a big issue with being able to let my life outside of football affect my football,” Stone said. “I dominated a lot of the team settings and stuff like that, but sometimes outside of that I could let my body language get bad because of stuff I had going on outside of football, whether it be grades or something. As a player, I had to learn how to compartmentalize those things, separate the two and handle the pressure of outside life with football.
“I feel like this year I made the jump as a player, being able to dominate this space, whether it’s in life or football.”
Now, Stone will stick in Norman and projects to play a pivotal role on the interior of the Sooners’ defensive line. The 6-foot-3, 313-pound former five-star recruit will team up with Damonic Williams, Gracen Halton and Jayden Jackson to make up the Sooners’ two-deep depth chart at defensive tackle and nose tackle, fortifying an interior that should be one of the better groups in the SEC.
Stone played in every game and logged 94 snaps last season, per Pro Football Focus, recording six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.
The spring portal window closes on April 25.
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A wild saga in Norman has come to a favorable end for Oklahoma on Easter Sunday.
After entering the transfer portal on Friday night, David Stone has withdrawn his name and will return to the Sooners.
The sophomore defensive tackle has decided to stay put amid a chaotic turn of events that initially saw him hit the portal and look to play elsewhere with three years of eligibility remaining. However, after several members of the OU staff and roster got involved in a push this weekend to keep him around, he has changed course and will stay in Norman.
Stone’s initial entry into the portal sent shockwaves across the program. Numerous people tied to the program took to social media within minutes of the news.
It was that much more surprising since Stone talked to the media earlier this month, discussing how much he had grown as a player since arriving in Norman last spring.
“I feel like for myself, I had a big issue with being able to let my life outside of football affect my football,” Stone said. “I dominated a lot of the team settings and stuff like that, but sometimes outside of that I could let my body language get bad because of stuff I had going on outside of football, whether it be grades or something. As a player, I had to learn how to compartmentalize those things, separate the two and handle the pressure of outside life with football.
“I feel like this year I made the jump as a player, being able to dominate this space, whether it’s in life or football.”
Now, Stone will stick in Norman and projects to play a pivotal role on the interior of the Sooners’ defensive line. The 6-foot-3, 313-pound former five-star recruit will team up with Damonic Williams, Gracen Halton and Jayden Jackson to make up the Sooners’ two-deep depth chart at defensive tackle and nose tackle, fortifying an interior that should be one of the better groups in the SEC.
Stone played in every game and logged 94 snaps last season, per Pro Football Focus, recording six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.
The spring portal window closes on April 25.
Not an OUInsider.com premium member? Sign up today to get loads of inside information on Oklahoma football, softball, basketball, and recruiting, all for just a few dollars a month. Click HERE to get started!
Follow us on Twitter @OUInsider and on Instagram @ouinsiderofficial!
Subscribe on YouTube by clicking here for daily video content on all things Oklahoma!
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