Tag: David Stone

Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners spring game

Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners spring game.

The Oklahoma Sooners had another fantastic showing inside the friendly confines of Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. With another strong attendance in front of around 100 recruits, the Sooners put on a show on Owen Field.

[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] got it started with a 64-yard touchdown pass. The two connected a little bit later for another 50-plus-yard scoring strike. But it wasn’t just Arnold and Burks that flashed during the spring game.

A number of defenders like [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag], [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag], and [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] got after the quarterback, helping the defense battle a talented offense throughout.

The offensive line did a lot of good things in the game, showing that they’ll be more than capable of progressing and being a winning unit for the Sooners in their first season in the SEC.

With the offensive line playing well, the quarterbacks had enough time to throw for the most part, and the running game was able to pick up big yards on several occasions.

They’re far from a finished product, but there was a lot to like. As we continue to react to the Sooners spring game, here are the best photos from the action on the field.

More: 5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners Spring Game

Davon Mitchell one of CBS Sports ‘freshmen to watch’ in Spring Game season

CBS Sports Shehan Jeyarajah includes Davon Mitchell among CBS Sports freshmen to watch during spring game season.

The Oklahoma Sooners have several freshmen who have created a lot of buzz in spring ball. [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Powers[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Boganowski[/autotag], [autotag]Jaydan Hardy[/autotag], and [autotag]Danny Okoye[/autotag] have turned heads with what they accomplished during winter workouts and on the defensive side of the practice field.

On offense, [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] has impressed. And so has his good friend and fellow freshman, [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag]. Though he may not be working as a starter right now, he’s shown out with his size and ability. With just under two weeks to the Oklahoma Sooners spring game, CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah pointed to Mitchell as a freshman to watch in spring game season.

The Sooners have several tight ends on the roster, but early returns of Mitchell have been off the charts. Originally a member of the Class of 2025, Mitchell reclassified down a year and has already made an impact. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, he already boasts the requisite frame and strength to play in the SEC. While snaps may not come early, Mitchell is the future of the position at OU. – Jeyarajah, CBS Sports

Mitchell has created a lot of buzz in spring camp with his ready-for-college size and his ability in the passing game. At the moment, it sounds like he’s working in a rotational role at tight end, but because of his ability, he should see snaps in the passing game during the 2024 season.

The number of snaps is still to be determined. In addition, Bauer Sharp has been impressed with his play style and leadership qualities.

Mitchell has all of the traits to be really good at the collegiate level and his time is certainly coming. Like many of the signees in the 2024 recruiting class, he has the right mindset and demeanor to push for an impactful role as a true freshman. The Sooners spring game will be the first opportunity to see what the future of the position will look like.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Oklahoma Sooners transfer target announces official visit date

Looking to add some more depth to the defensive tackle room, the Oklahoma Sooners will be hosting transfer target Philip Blidi on an official visit in April.

The [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] may have windows, but those windows seem to never truly close. The Oklahoma Sooners are looking to add to their defensive line depth this offseason with a pursuit of Indiana defensive tackle transfer Philip Blidi.

The former Hoosier announced he’d be visiting OU on an official visit the weekend of April 19-21. (UPDATED after Blidi corrected his tweet that stated April 12).

Blidi, who spent three years at Texas Tech before transferring to Indiana in 2023, recorded 30 tackles and four tackles for loss for the Hoosiers last season.

In 2022 with the Red Raiders, Blidi had 18 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks. At 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds, Blidi is a force in the middle.

The Oklahoma Sooners are light on experience at defensive tackle after Jacob Lacey was forced to medically retire. The only defensive tackle that played more than 100 snaps for the Sooners a year ago is [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag].

Oklahoma has some talented up-and-comers like [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag], [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag], [autotag]Markus Strong[/autotag], [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], and [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag]. However, if the Sooners feel like they need more experience taking snaps next to Terry, Blidi would be a good option.

In 2023, Blidi played 444 snaps for Indiana’s defense and was the third highest-graded player on Indiana’s defense, according to Pro Football Focus.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Best photos from latest Oklahoma Sooners spring practice

Spring ball is heating up and here are the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners latest spring practice.

Spring practice is in full throttle as the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for the 2024 college football season. There are a number of intriguing storylines to watch this spring with [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] taking over at quarterback and the turnover along the offensive line.

The newcomers are making a strong impression on the media in attendance. [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] and [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] have stood out in the passing game as Arnold gets acclimated to life as the starting quarterback.

Defensively, true freshmen [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag], and [autotag]Reggie Powers[/autotag] have mixed in with the first-team defense and looked good in the early going.

There are a number of players that the team is taking precautions with on the injury front, so it’s hard to know who exactly is leading the way in the most high-profile position battles.

What we do know is that this is a deeper team than what the Sooners took into the spring a year ago, especially at wide receiver, defensive back, and linebacker. The competitive depth across the board is better this spring than in any year of the [autotag]Brent Venable[/autotag]s era at Oklahoma, which should serve the team well as they try to work out their depth chart.

Here’s a look at the best photos from the Sooners most recent spring practice.

Oklahoma Sooners defender primed for a breakout season per ESPN

Former five-star prospect expected to have a breakout season according to ESPN.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ defense made positive strides in 2023, but they have work to do to turn [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag]’s unit into an elite squad.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his coaching staff have done a great job on the recruiting trail to stockpile talent over the last three recruiting cycles. In the last two years, the Sooners have added 17 four- and five-star players to their defensive ranks. Three were five-star prospects [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag], [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag], and [autotag]David Stone[/autotag].

Bowen earned opportunities early in 2023 and was a productive playmaker on both defense and special teams. His production in a rotation role has ESPN’s David Hale believing Bowen will be the Sooners’ breakout star in 2024.

A year ago, safety [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] arrived as a five-star recruit, ranked No. 14 nationally, hoping he could help be the future of OU’s defense after a disappointing 2022 season. He was able to carve out a role, playing in all 13 games with two starts, 36 tackles (including a season-high 5 against Texas), a sack, 5 passes broken up and a forced fumble. He also showed off his game-breaking ability with two blocked punts, most in the Big 12. He is poised to play an aggressive style under new defensive coordinator Zac Alley, who worked as an assistant under Sooners coach Brent Venables at Clemson when he was the Tigers’ defensive coordinator. Last year, Allen’s defense at Jacksonville State allowed just 2.8 yards per carry (fourth nationally), and was in the top 10 in turnovers (25) and interceptions (16). — Dave Wilson, ESPN

Bowen played 363 snaps in 2023, fourth among safeties but first among true freshmen on the roster last year. And he proved to have a nose for the football, making plays in both the run and passing game.

With [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag] (Ole Miss transfer) and [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag] (eligibility) out the door, there’s an opportunity for Bowen to earn a starting role next to Billy Bowman. He’ll contend with [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] for snaps. Even if he doesn’t start for the Sooners in Year 2, we’ve seen Oklahoma rotate safeties, and he can help the Sooners at free safety, strong safety and nickel cheetah.

The breakout is coming for Peyton Bowen. He’s a big reason there’s optimism about Oklahoma’s defense improving yet again in 2024.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

‘Definitely handling my business’: David Stone knows what he needs to do to see the field early

With the loss of Jacob Lacey, it’s time for the younger guys to step up and David Stone knows what he needs to do.

The Oklahoma Sooners will return one of the more experienced defenses in all of college football in 2024. The one spot that doesn’t have a lot of snaps to its ledger is the interior defensive line.

They bring back [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag], who played 306 snaps at defensive tackle last season. [autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag], who played a lot for Texas State prior to his arrival to Norman, didn’t play much for the Sooners in 2023. Neither did former four-star [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] or 2023 signees [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag] or [autotag]Markus Strong[/autotag].

Outside of Terry, no other Sooners defensive tackle played more than 100 snaps last season

There are some talented players with potential, but not much in the way of experience.

That’s why it was such a big loss when Jacob Lacey stepped away from the game due to a medical issue. Lacey led the defensive tackle position in snaps last season and was expected to start in 2024. With experienced depth lacking on the roster, the younger guys will have every opportunity to get on the field and make plays.

Someone who has an opportunity to fill that void is [autotag]David Stone[/autotag]. Last week the newcomers did a round of interviews and Stone spoke about what he needs to do to get on the field.

“Definitely handling my business,” Stone said. “Limiting the amount of errors that I make. As a freshman, that’s something that people tend to do is make mistakes but if I want to see the field, I know that’s something I’ve got to limit. I have very small room for error when it comes to technique so I just have to make sure I stay on top of things like that and learning the playbook.”

Defensive tackle is one of the positions that be difficult to make an impact early. They level of talent and physicality takes a significant step up from high school to college and from college to the NFL.

While the physical side is always tough, the mental side can be just as tough, if not more so, for incoming freshmen, especially in a complicated Brent Venables defense. But if Stone can figure things out and get the mental side down, he could be in for a big year.

Stone is no stranger to transition after moving from Del City to IMG Academy to play out his final two years of high school ball. He’s also no stranger to playing against the best as IMG attempted to schedule as difficult a slate of games as possible to highlight their athlete.

Every step of the way, David Stone has risen to the occasion. With his ability and mentality, there’s no reason to doubt he can’t come in and be an impact player in year one.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

‘It’s a really tough group of guys’: Brent Venables impressed by the early enrollees

Brent Venables has been impressed by the class of 2024 early enrollees.

Spring football is finally here in Oklahoma. Head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] kicked things off with a media session on Wednesday along with all of the newcomers both from the portal and the 2024 recruiting class.

Spring practice starts on Monday with the spring game coming in April 20, 2024.

Still, there is a lot of work to be done from now until the start of the season. Whether that’s getting some guys back who were injured last season like [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Casey Thompson[/autotag] or [autotag]Justin Harrington[/autotag] or if it’s replacing someone who had to call it a career in Jacob Lacey. There are also a ton of position battles still to go through as well.

Venables talked about how impressed he’s been with the 22 early enrollees. “It’s a really tough group of guys,” Venables said. “The mental toughness that I watched the last eight weeks is exemplary. It’s fantastic. Nobody shied away. These guys were prepared for the challenge that this entails. It was never easy for any of them but these guys were fearless.”

This class is arguably the best in the Venables era with the elite defensive players they were able to sign along with some stellar offensive guys as well. This only adds to that belief.

Now, the question is how many of those guys will be ready to make an impact in Year 1? Only time will tell.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Oklahoma Sooners offer four-star DL prospect and Auburn commit Malik Autry

Oklahoma has offered fast-rising 2025 four-star DL prospect Malik Autry.

Oklahoma just had one of its all-time best defensive line recruiting hauls with their 2024 class. It was headlined by five-star defensive tackle David Stone but there were multiple four-star defensive linemen in the Sooners’ haul.

Oklahoma needed every single signee as the Sooners were set to be pretty thin along their defensive line after the 2024 season. They now turn their recruiting efforts to 2025, where the Sooners already have one commitment from three-star nose tackle Ka’Mori Moore.

Moore committed last summer, and Oklahoma is in pursuit of adding more.

Their most recent offer is to four-star prospect Malik Autry. Autry is a large human being who most certainly fits the mold of the 1-technique type of nose tackle that the vast majority of SEC teams seem to have. He is the no. 89 overall prospect in the Top247 and is seeing his recruitment take off. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him rise into the top 60 nationally when it’s all said and done.

Autry stands tall at six-foot-five and clocks in at 320 pounds. He hails from Alabama and is currently committed to the Auburn Tigers. He was offered by Todd Bates, who is from Alabama himself. Bates has long been considered an excellent recruiter for his ability to connect with the gentlemen he recruits. Can he help loosen the bond between Auburn and help give Oklahoma a fighting chance?

Malik Autry’s Recruiting Profile

Film

HUDL

Co-defensive coordinator Todd Bates, Oklahoma working on new contract per report

Oklahoma defensive tackles coach and Co-DC Todd Bates is set to receive a raise and new three year deal per report.

It’s been one heck of a start to 2024 for co-defensive coordinator and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates.

He received a pay bump earlier this offseason and appears headed for another raise according to Matt Zenitz of 247Sports.

According to Zenitz, Bates is set to push his salary up to $900,000 per year as he finalizes a three-year contract extension with the Sooners. The extension rewards Bates for his contributions and comes on the heels of an offseason, where, according to the report, Bates was being pursued by other programs this offseason. Instead, the well-respected defensive line coach will stay in Norman to continue the work of rebuilding the Sooners defensive line.

Bates has been a monumental add for his development of the Oklahoma defensive line in larger part because of his prowess on the recruiting trail.

Bates was the primary recruiter for the Sooners in their pursuit of five-star defensive tackle David Stone. Stone was the first five-star defensive tackle the Sooners have landed in over a decade. He has also helped transform the Oklahoma defensive line that led the NCAA in tackles for loss or for no gain last season.

For Bates, his journey is just getting started. He has yet to see a complete cycle of his recruits manifest on the field. He’s revitalized the interior defensive line at Oklahoma.

Still, this year represents a significant step in competition as his unproven unit will have their first season in the SEC. They will be face some of the best offensive linemen in the country on a weekly basis.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Who’s the most important newcomer for the Sooners, according to ESPN?

Which addition this offseason is the most important newcomer for the 2024 Oklahoma Sooners?

The Oklahoma Sooners landed another strong recruiting class in the 2024 cycle along with several big-time additions via the transfer portal.

No player received as much attention on the recruiting trail or in the portal than the addition of five-star defensive lineman [autotag]David Stone[/autotag]. If there was a “must-have” player in this cycle, it was Stone, an Oklahoma native who finished his high school career at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

Stone brings an impressive blend of size, speed, and strength to the Oklahoma Sooners defensive line. He can line up as a defensive end in three-man fronts or slide in to play three-technique defensive tackle (between the guard and the tackle) in four-man alignments.

The talent he brings to the field will pay huge dividends for the Oklahoma Sooners defense. And that could be as soon as this season. ESPN took a look at the most important newcomer (ESPN+) for each team in their top 25 power rankings, and Tom VanHaaren believes it’s David Stone.

The Sooners are joining the SEC and you can never have enough athletic, versatile defensive linemen in that league. Oklahoma is still trying to elevate its defense and Stone will help. He’s a 6-foot-4, 280 pound lineman who fits what coach Brent Venables wants up front and can help get after the quarterback or stop the run. He is the No. 1 defensive tackle in the class and was a huge recruiting win for the Sooners’ staff. – Tom VanHaaren, ESPN

There is certainly a case to be made for Stone, who is as important of an addition as the Sooners have made in the Brent Venables era. He could certainly be a day-one contributor for the Oklahoma Sooners defensive tackle. At the same time, the jump from high school to college can be a difficult transition, especially at a position like defensive tackle where they’re dealing with bigger players and a more physical game. Stone has the right mentality and work ethic to make the adjustment.

Whether he has his breakout season in 2024 or beyond, Stone will be a game changer for the Oklahoma Sooners defense.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.