Venables, Sooners secure 5-star tackle from OKC

Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff WriterAug 26, 2023, 09:00 PM ET

Five-star defensive tackle David Stone Jr., No. 6 overall in the 2024 ESPN 300, committed to Oklahoma on Saturday, providing second-year coach Brent Venables a crucial victory on the recruiting front.

Originally from Oklahoma City, Stone, who plays at IMG Academy in Florida and is the top-ranked defensive tackle in the 2024 cycle, chose the Sooners over offers from Michigan State, Miami, Florida and Oregon.

His signature on a letter of intent would ensure the Sooners would have a five-star defensive lineman in a second straight class.

Defensive end Adepoju Adebawore (No. 20 overall) was one of three five-star signees, along with quarterback Jackson Arnold (No. 3 overall) and safety Peyton Bowen (No. 17 overall), in a 2023 class that finished fourth in ESPN’s rankings.

Oklahoma now has eight ESPN 300 pledges in its 2024 class, with Stone serving as the headliner.

As a junior for IMG last season, the 6-foot-4, 280-pound Stone recorded 50 tackles (26 solo) with 18 tackles for loss, five sacks and nine quarterback pressures.

Venables, who has returned to Norman after a long and successful stint as Clemson’s defensive coordinator, has the Sooners’ recruiting in good shape following Lincoln Riley’s sudden departure to USC after the 2021 season.

The quartet of five-stars (Arnold, Bowen, Adebawore and Stone) over the past two cycles shows the Sooners are still a brand to be reckoned with. ESPN has Oklahoma’s class ranked 16th.