The Oklahoma Soonersare 4-0 to open the 2025 season, with wins over Illinois State, Michigan, Temple and Auburn. Despite the news of starting quarterback John Mateer being set to miss a few weeks after Wednesday’s hand surgery, OU has still quieted some critics through the first third of the season.
Much of Oklahoma’s success this season has to do with head coach Brent Venables’ defense, which has stymied opponents all season to this point. The defensive line, in particular, has continued its stellar play from last year.
In the SEC, success still begins in the trenches and up the middle of the defense. At the defensive tackle position, the Sooners look to be in good hands for years to come with true sophomores Jayden Jackson and David Stone playing excellent football through four weeks. They’ve joined forces with veterans Damonic Williams and Gracen Halton to form a devastating DT group.
Jackson and Stone were on full display in Oklahoma’s win over Auburn last Saturday. Against their former quarterback Jackson Arnold, that duo flashed with a combined 3.5 of OU’s school record 10 sacks of the ex-Sooners QB. With both currently playing the best football of their collegiate careers, it’s clear that Jackson and Stone have officially arrived.
Arnold did some really nice things against Oklahoma’s defense, and he played better than many thought he would, especially when it came to limiting turnovers.
However, Arnold also showed some of the tendencies that helped lead to his downfall with the Sooners. One of those areas for improvement is his tendency to hold the ball too long, and his struggles to read and process the defense quickly.
Venables and the Sooners knew Arnold’s strengths, and they knew his weaknesses. They took advantage of a lot of the opportunities they were presented with. That was never more apparent than on the Tigers’ final drive, when Oklahoma shut down a chance for Auburn to go win the game.
“It sucks, obviously, losing a game like that, in the fashion that it happened, definitely sucked,” Arnold said.
Taking advantage of opportunities is exactly what Jackson and Stone did, as the young defensive tackle duo reminded Arnold, Auburn and anyone watching that this isn’t your older brother’s OU defense, especially up front.
Jackson earned high praise from Venables after the game, who illustrated his impact to the defense.
“He was so good,” Venables said. “Played vertical all day, physical all day, unblocked a lot and really affected the game interior-wise … When you’re really strong up the middle on your defense, man, you have a chance to become a great unit.”
Senior defensive end R Mason Thomas, who hassled Arnold into two sacks of his own, despite playing for just a half of football, praised Jackson’s play as well.
“Elite,” Thomas said. “That’s the one word I could say for him, elite. It’s just all-around. He’s just a stud. And he’s only a sophomore.”
Thomas also loved Stone’s play, as the former five-star prospect is seeing it click his second year of college.
“He’s 19, too. Sophomore,” Thomas said. “So, it’s just like, we’ve got dogs. Nobody wants to have no cats. All dogs … We’ve just got, how do you put it, competitive depth. Everybody’s itching to get on the field, make some plays. And we’ve got some dogs, like, back to what I’m saying … So, it’s like competitive depth is the word to put it. I think Coach V says that all the time.”
After all, Thomas is the big-name fixture on this Oklahoma defense, with his ability to rush the passer and close out games late. However, this is his final season of college football. The beauty of this Sooner defense is that there are playmakers all over the place. Thomas clearly knows that Jackson, Stone, and others will be ready to keep the party rolling once he and the other seniors are gone next year.
Two coveted members of the 2024 recruiting class at the defensive tackle position both chose Oklahoma, and it’s starting to pay dividends. As the Sooners turn the offense over to another member of that recruiting class (sophomore quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.) for a few weeks while Mateer heals, the Oklahoma defense will have even more pressure on their shoulders. However, the Sooners are in good hands defensively with Venables calling the shots.
Jackson and Stone helped make life miserable for Arnold last week, and they’re in position to help do the same for the rest of the SEC quarterbacks on OU’s schedule in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: The Sooners sophomore DTs were on full display against the Tigers
