David Stone grows Oklahoma's concerning list of injuries even more ahead of Georgia trip

Life keeps getting worse for the Oklahoma Sooners.

On3's Pete Nakos and George Stoia reported that OU starting defensive tackle David Stone suffered a lower-body injury during Monday's practice, just two days after Stone had what was probably his best performance as a Sooner in Oklahoma's 14-6 win over New Mexico.

The report stated that Stone will need further testing to know just how serious the injury is, but his status for Saturday's trip to No. 2 Georgia and beyond is in question. The initial fear, though, is that it's pretty serious and could sideline Stone for some time. We should get more news on Tuesday.

Injury news like this has started to feel like a daily thing throughout Sooner Nation.

Stone, a junior, had just taken over as a full-time starter on the defensive line with expectations of a breakout season to prove his five-star potential as a recruit in 2024. He finally looked the part of a future first-round NFL Draft pick on Saturday night.

He tied for the team high with eight tackles against New Mexico, as well as two tackles for loss (also a team high) and a half sack. That brought his season total to 12 tackles with the two TFL and half sack in three games.

Sooners will likely be down 2 crucial defensive starters vs. Georgia

Stone got to Oklahoma in 2024 as a consensus five-star recruit and No. 5 overall prospect in the class by Rivals. He immediately got time in the rotation and appeared in every game as a freshman, recording six tackles, two TFL and a sack. He then briefly entered his name in the transfer portal before withdrawing in a bizarre move.

He then improved his numbers last year with 42 tackles, eight TFL and 1.5 sacks. That set the table for what was expected to be one monster season for Stone before he headed to the NFL after being projected as a first-round pick by multiple mock drafts over the summer. He was selected as a preseason All-American by multiple outlets and was Preseason All-SEC Second Team.

However long Stone is sidelined, either Georgia State transfer Bishop Thomas, Trent Wilson or Nigel Smith II will likely replace him in the starting lineup. All will need to step up alongside fellow starter Jayden Jackson in the interior. Braxton Fely, who was just added to the roster from Boise State the night before the season started, could also find himself in a bigger role.

Stone grows what was already a lengthy injury list for the Sooners. OU on Saturday was without linebackers Kip Lewis and Cole Sullivan, safety Michael Boganowski, left tackle Michael Fasusi, and wide receiver Trell Harris. All five of those players are considered starters at their position, so the Sooners aren't just missing players, but crucial pieces heading into SEC play.

Lewis is expected to still be out against Georgia.

With the Sooners kicking off SEC play, we will now get daily availability reports starting on Wednesday for consistent updates on these injured players' statuses. With that, OU head coach Brent Venables will probably be pretty hush about injury updates, including during Tuesday's press conference.

The biggest question OU fans have for Venables right now, though, would be what the heck is going on during practices for all these injuries to keep piling up on a yearly basis?

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