The defensive lineman standout exemplifies leadership and integrity, earning recognition for his character under the watchful eye of Sooners' tight ends coach and the award's legendary namesake, Jason Witten
Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone has been nominated for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, a recognition that has less to do with the box score and more to do with the kind of person wearing the jersey.
The timing makes it a little more interesting around Norman. Stone is the first Sooner to receive the nomination while Jason Witten is actually on staff at Oklahoma. Witten joined Brent Venables’ group as tight ends coach, and now one of the Sooners’ most important defensive players is up for the award that carries Witten’s name and standard.
That standard is clear. The Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award goes to an FBS player who has shown leadership through courage, integrity, and sportsmanship on and off the field. It is meant to honor the same kind of character Witten became known for during his own career, both as a durable production machine and as the 2012 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year.
This is not a pure stats award. It is about the full picture: teammate, community, accountability, and the way a player carries himself when the cameras are off.
The award’s past winners make that point well. The first eight recipients were UCF’s Shaquem Griffin, Wisconsin’s D’Cota Dixon, Tennessee’s Trey Smith, Texas’s Sam Ehlinger, Kentucky’s Josh Paschal, Pitt’s Deslin Alexandre, Virginia’s Mike Hollins, and Kentucky’s J.J. Weaver.
Different programs, different positions, same theme. The people who earn this nomination usually matter beyond the defensive snaps or touchdown throws.
Stone already mattered to Oklahoma before any of this. He is one of the centerpieces of a defensive line that helped the Sooners get back to the College Football Playoff a year ago, and he entered this season with the kind of expectations that follow a player drawing first-round draft attention. The production is real. The presence in the middle of the defense is real. So is the way the program talks about him as a foundational piece.
His opener against UTEP was quiet by star standards. Stone played 29 defensive snaps and recorded one tackle in the 51-0 win. That is fine for Week 1 in a game Oklahoma controlled from the jump. Nominations like this are not about one Friday night in September anyway. They are about the broader body of work and the reputation a player builds in the building and in the community.
There is also a layer here that fits the current Oklahoma roster culture. Venables has spent years talking about toughness, accountability, and developing players who do more than just show up on Saturdays.
Witten’s presence on staff only sharpens that standard on the other side of the ball. Having a defensive lineman nominated for Witten’s award creates a clean full-circle moment for the program. One of Oklahoma’s own is being recognized for the exact values the staff is trying to make non-negotiable.
Stone does not need an award to validate his importance to this defense. Oklahoma’s front is still one of the strengths of the team, and his ability to occupy blockers and create problems inside remains central to what Venables wants. The nomination does, however, say something useful about how he is viewed beyond the scheme.
Leadership and character awards only show up when people inside and outside the program trust the person as much as the player.
The ninth annual Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award is set to be presented in Frisco, Texas. Whether Stone takes home the final honor or not, the nomination itself is a strong note in a season that is just getting started.
Oklahoma is heading into a massive road environment at Michigan with a defense that needs to travel well. Stone is part of that answer on the field. Off the field, this nomination suggests the Sooners are getting the kind of leadership they want from one of their best players.
In a sport that spends plenty of time chasing portal production and short-term roster patches, it is still worth noticing when a player gets recognized for the harder stuff. Stone has the talent to be one of the best defensive linemen in the country.
The Witten nomination says Oklahoma also sees him as one of the right ones.
