iStockphoto / © NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Oklahoma Sooners got good news on the football front with a surprise transfer reversal this past weekend. Five-star defensive lineman David Stone ended his brief portal stay to stick around in Norman.
NIL was reportedly the cause of the initial unhappiness, though the talented defender was said to have been heavily influenced by family members. His camp supposedly held the Sooners for ransom until demands were met.
Stone was the headliner in the 2024 Oklahoma recruiting class. A Top 20 player nationally, he chose the Sooners over LSU, Miami, Michigan State, and Texas A&M.
The 6-4 tackle hails from Oklahoma City. The Sooners were always considered a contender due to proximity though there was some drama in his recruitment.
Oklahoma insiders hinted that members of his circle tried to push him out of the state to play for another program. At the time, the Sooners were undergoing a transition. Brent Venables had just wrapped up his second season at the university. The program was moving into the SEC ahead of David Stone’s freshman year.
Much of the talent from the 10-3 squad in ’23 was leaving. It was expected to be a rebuild of sorts. That was proven to be true by the play on the field. Oklahoma went 6-7 last season while having major issues on offense. Stone saw the field sparingly.
He racked up six tackles and a sack across five games of action. Still, it appeared he was content with his spot on the depth chart and a role that would grow in his sophomore season… until he wasn’t!
David Stone entered the transfer portal with NIL demands.
Brandon Drumm of OU Insider broke down that transfer decision over the weekend. He suggested that family members were demanding higher pay while threatening to shop the star defender around to other programs.
“The crux of the situation is that people around him were essentially sucking him dry. The same people that wanted him to leave the state… He was funding a lot of people that probably didn’t need to be funded,” said Drumm.
“He was making a lot of money. In the state of Oklahoma, you could live off that for years… I truly believe David Stone bleeds crimson and cream. I think there’s those around him that bleed just green.”
Drumm insinuated that Stone’s camp was seeking more money. Family members guided the defensive lineman into the portal as a way of attaining that cash. The attempt appears to have worked as Stone dropped his transfer threats after just 48 hours.
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Did Oklahoma pay the ransom? The reasoning behind his initial decision would lead you to believe so.
Position coach Todd Bates hinted at the topic on social media while welcoming Stone back to the team. “Choosing a university to attend is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make,” he wrote on X.
“Fans love this game… but many never experience the pain or challenges that players go through – especially in this new era of college football… Love for somebody comes out as hate when you are hurt and thinking about what you are losing. We are blessed to have David Stone.”
Stone will suit up for the Oklahoma Sooners football team in 2025. He’ll have a bit more pressure to perform given the offseason dramatics and suspected NIL bump. We’ll soon see if the investment pays off for Brent Venables.