NORMAN ā University of Oklahoma junior defensive lineman David Stone has been named one of 20 semifinalists for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award, it was announced Wednesday.
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In its 10th year, the award focuses primarily on players' leadership, courage, integrity and sportsmanship on and off the field.
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A 2026 team captain, Stone has played in all 32 games of OU's games during his collegiate career despite sustaining injuries in each of his three seasons. Off the field, Stone, who overcame housing instability as a youth, established the Big Stone Athletics foundation to better serve the local community through outreach and events.
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Stone has totaled 70 tackles, including 12.0 for loss and 3.0 sacks, four QB hurries and a pass breakup in his career. During his breakout 2025 season, he led OU defensive tackles and ranked seventh on the team with his 42 total tackles, which included 8.0 for loss. In six starts this season, he has recorded 22 tackles, including career highs of eight stops and 2.0 tackles for loss against New Mexico.
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To be able to play in all 32 games of his career with the Sooners, Stone has had to overcome injury each season. As a freshman, he broke his wrist and played with his hand and wrist wrapped. As a sophomore in 2025, he played with a fractured tibia. This season, early in the week preceding OU's Sept. 26 game at Georgia, he dislocated his kneecap but eventually started that contest at defensive tackle.
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Stone also boasts a strong academic resume. He carries a 3.19 GPA as a health and exercise science major and was named to the 2024 and 2025 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.
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Early in his life, Stone overcame the hardship of housing instability, at one time living in a car with his mother and sister in his hometown of Del City, Okla. He later lived with his grandmother in late middle school and through his freshman year of high school before moving to Bradenton, Fla., to attend IMG Academy.
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Stone established Big Stone Athletics, a foundation that supports Oklahomans by turning on-field performance into off-field impact. Through sponsorships and per-sack pledges, his Stacks For Sacks program supports RECON-NECT's work with veterans and first responders. This past summer, he hosted a youth football camp in Del City. He has also volunteered his time at Bethany Children's Hospital and coordinated teammates to serve at the hospital with him and to participate in a wheelchair basketball game. Additionally, Stone led the charge to raise money for OU walk-on athletes to take part in a service trip to Rio De Janeiro this spring.
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Stone has also participated in team service projects. He and teammates recently volunteered at the J.D. McCarty Center of Norman, interacting with patients and assisting with tasks around the facility. He also volunteered with the Beacon Project to pack supplies for underprivileged kids in the community and worked with 111 Project to pack and deliver 200 50-pound bags of supplies for foster families in the Norman area.
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Three finalists for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award will be named on Dec. 15, and the winner will be announced on March 11, 2027, during a ceremony in Arlington, Texas. The award winner will receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school's athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten's SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle.
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Oklahoma (3-3, 1-2 SEC) plays at Mississippi State (4-2, 2-2 SEC) on Saturday in Starkville, Miss. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on SEC Network.