Elite freshman James “Tank” Carrington has caught the eye of David Stone, as he is armed with an 80-inch wingspan and technical grappling skills, the interior lineman has earned rave reviews
Oklahoma’s defensive line already has plenty of attention with names like David Stone and Taylor Wein, but another young piece is starting to generate real buzz inside the program.
James “Tank” Carrington, a 2026 signee, is turning heads, and Stone himself is not shy about saying it.
“Tank, he’s going to be special. I can’t lie. Tank is going to be a dude for this school.”
That’s high praise coming from a player many project as a high NFL Draft pick. Stone has been around enough talent to know the difference between someone who just looks the part and someone who actually has the traits to develop into a difference-maker. He’s seen enough from Carrington to believe the latter.
Carrington is listed around 6-foot-2 and has worked his way up near the 290-pound range since arriving in Norman. He projects as an interior 3-technique with a powerful frame, an elite wrestling background, and a first step that jumps out on film.
He came through strong high school programs at Crean Lutheran and Bishop Gorman and earned NHSCA All-American recognition in wrestling as a freshman. That grappling base shows up in how he uses his hands and leverage.
Stone pointed to exactly those traits when breaking down what stands out.
“The biggest thing for me is the block rec,” Stone said. “Being able to recognize what you see and vocalize it. You’re actually really processing the game. And his hands. He plays with his hands very well. Very technical kid. I noticed that right off the rip.”
Recognition and hand usage are two of the harder things for young interior linemen to pick up quickly. A lot of freshmen rely purely on athleticism. Carrington is already showing an ability to diagnose blocking schemes and use his hands with purpose. Pair that with an roughly 80-inch wingspan and the ability to keep blockers off his chest, and the tools are clearly there.
The first-step quickness is another separator. Carrington can explode off the ball and win early, then convert that burst into power. He has the kind of low center of gravity and core strength that helps him anchor against double teams, and he plays with a motor that doesn’t shut off. Those are the building blocks of a disruptive interior presence in Brent Venables’ defense.
Stone was careful to note that the next step is consistency, which is normal for a young player.
“The biggest thing for him right now is trying to get him to learn how to do it all the time. He’s showing flashes as a young guy, and that’s what young people do. They show the flashes. But once they show the consistency and the levels to it is when they really take their game to the next level and that’s all we’re looking from him right now.”
Flashes are encouraging. Consistency is what turns a prospect into a reliable contributor and eventually a star. Carrington is still early in the process of learning how to bring the same level of detail and violence to every snap. That’s the jump every young defensive lineman has to make, especially in the SEC where the physicality is constant.
Stone didn’t leave much room for doubt about the long-term outlook.
“He’s truly going to be special. When I say that, I mean that.”
Oklahoma has a track record of developing defensive linemen under Brent Venables, and the room is deep enough that Carrington won’t be forced into a full-time role before he’s ready. That’s ideal. He can learn behind players like Stone and Jayden Jackson, pick up the mental side of the defense, and refine the hand-fighting and counter moves that will make him more complete against Power conference offensive lines.
There are still things to clean up. Some scouts will look at the height and call him a bit of a tweener, which puts a premium on him maintaining functional strength and mass. His pass-rush plan will need more counters as he faces better tackles week after week. Those are normal developmental pieces. The traits that are hardest to teach — first-step explosion, power, motor, and natural hand usage — already show up.
For a program that prides itself on being physical up front, finding another interior piece with this kind of upside is significant. Stone’s endorsement is a big deal because he sees Carrington every day in the meeting rooms and in the trenches. When a player of Stone’s caliber says someone is going to be special and repeats it for emphasis, it’s worth paying attention.
Carrington still has to put it all together and prove it on the field over time. But the early returns and the feedback from inside the program suggest Oklahoma may have another defensive line piece who can grow into a real problem for opposing offenses.
