Stone says McCoy’s support ‘only fueling the fire’ to win
NORMAN — David Stone grins when Gerald McCoy’s name comes up.
Stone has heard the comparisons. That Stone is OU’s most prized defensive tackle prospect since McCoy signed with the Sooners almost 18 years ago. That Stone, born and raised in Del City, is a homegrown prospect like McCoy, who starred at Southeast High School.
The Sooners hope Stone will star in the Southeastern Conference, where giants like Stone, 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds, swing games in the trenches.
Stone, who neither looks nor acts like a high schooler, does not balk at the burden of being compared to McCoy. After all, he has McCoy in his corner.
“I talk to him pretty often,” Stone told The Oklahoman on Wednesday. “It’s good to hear words of advice from people that’s been in your shoes, know where you’re going, know where you wanna be.”
Stone, who spent his first two years of high school at Del City before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, was back in his home state for a signing day event organized by OU Insider.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to come back home …” Stone said. “It’s only a stepping stone to something I’ve always wanted to accomplish, which is making it to the NFL. I feel like this is the best place for me to do it.”
OU has a long list of recent offensive standouts making it to the NFL, but perhaps Stone can start a new trend on the other side of the ball. Maybe he can mimic the path of McCoy, the third overall pick in the 2010 draft, who had an 11-year NFL career.
“I used to watch some of his games and stuff on TV,” Stone said.
When asked how he met McCoy, Stone was, well, coy.
“Oklahoma is a small place, man,” he said.
For Stone, it’s also a special place. “Before I made the choice to leave to IMG, one of the deciding factors for me leaving was that OK, if I do leave, I always have a chance to come back home,” he said. “I felt like if I did decide to stay, there would’ve been a chance of me wanting to leave the state.
“Me leaving, it showed me how much I really miss this place … Most people don’t see the value in the dirt roads and the prairies. I really enjoy every moment of my life in this state.”
But being a hometown savior for the Sooners? It comes with pressure.
“I have a great support system of people around me,” Stone said.
A support system that includes McCoy, who shared with Stone this bit of advice: “keep a level head and stay humble.”
“I’m getting advice from someone I used to look up to,” Stone said, “and that’s only fueling the fire.”