David Stone was leaning against the wall in the south stands of Spartan Stadium during the Spartan Football Kickoff event (aka the Spring Game sometimes) in April. Kids and grown adults alike were approaching him for autographs and pictures. He was very nice, very engaging.
I waited until there was a break in the action and approached him. I wanted to talk to him and get a feel for his thoughts on MSU.
He wasn't interested.
@Ryan OBleness had told me that he was one of those kids who kept his recruiting conversations at the national level (which makes a ton of sense for a 5-star recruit). I thought for sure I could break through and get him to talk.
Nope.
While he didn't want to talk, he did give me his cellphone number. I've tried it once a month since then (including this morning before I posted this). As you might have guessed, I haven't talked to him since that day in Spartan Stadium.
Luckily, Spartans Illustrated is a Rivals site and Rivals has John Garcia.
@John Garcia Jr. has been able to communicate with Stone and filed this update today:
"Stone has been linked to home state Oklahoma for years at this point, but there is some buzz wearing off for the Sooners as the commitment draws near. Is it a cause for concern for Brent Venables, especially after some notable misses on the trail of late? Yes. Does it mean OU is not the favorite to land Stone? Nope. It would still be a surprise if he elects to pick another school, but the buzz with both Miami and Michigan State is real, and Stone told Rivals last week he wasn’t settled on one program. Even beyond his top group, Alabama has been in steady contact with him as it efforts a September visit, a potentially key development beyond the commitment date, considering OU’s no-visit policy for Sooner commitments."
So take it for what it's worth. Stone is most likely a Sooner. But MSU isn't out of this one yet. Not much longer to wait as his commitment is expected next week.
I waited until there was a break in the action and approached him. I wanted to talk to him and get a feel for his thoughts on MSU.
He wasn't interested.
@Ryan OBleness had told me that he was one of those kids who kept his recruiting conversations at the national level (which makes a ton of sense for a 5-star recruit). I thought for sure I could break through and get him to talk.
Nope.
While he didn't want to talk, he did give me his cellphone number. I've tried it once a month since then (including this morning before I posted this). As you might have guessed, I haven't talked to him since that day in Spartan Stadium.
Luckily, Spartans Illustrated is a Rivals site and Rivals has John Garcia.
@John Garcia Jr. has been able to communicate with Stone and filed this update today:
"Stone has been linked to home state Oklahoma for years at this point, but there is some buzz wearing off for the Sooners as the commitment draws near. Is it a cause for concern for Brent Venables, especially after some notable misses on the trail of late? Yes. Does it mean OU is not the favorite to land Stone? Nope. It would still be a surprise if he elects to pick another school, but the buzz with both Miami and Michigan State is real, and Stone told Rivals last week he wasn’t settled on one program. Even beyond his top group, Alabama has been in steady contact with him as it efforts a September visit, a potentially key development beyond the commitment date, considering OU’s no-visit policy for Sooner commitments."
So take it for what it's worth. Stone is most likely a Sooner. But MSU isn't out of this one yet. Not much longer to wait as his commitment is expected next week.
