David Stone Injury Update: Oklahoma DT’s Knee ‘Popped Out’ in Practice Ahead of No. 2 Georgia Showdown, Odds Barely Budge

Oklahoma’s defense could be without its best player for the biggest game of the season so far. Star defensive tackle David Stone suffered a knee injury during Monday’s practice ahead of Saturday’s road trip to face No. 2 Georgia, and head coach Brent Venables would not rule him out, but he would not clear him either.

Venables told reporters Tuesday that Stone “ran his knee into a scout team player in a jog-through” and that the knee “kind of popped out.” Initial X-rays came back positive, and Stone reported his pain at a 2 out of 10 — encouraging signs for a Sooners program bracing for the worst just days before an SEC road test against the second-ranked team in the country.

What Venables Said About the Stone Injury

Venables was careful with his language Tuesday, at one point using air quotes when describing the “positive” X-ray results. He also moved quickly to correct a report that circulated Monday night suggesting Stone was hurt while working with the offense — the injury happened during a defensive rep in a jog-through drill, not a scrimmage snap.

“If David is unavailable this week, we’re going to need some guys to step up and play big, play with heavy hands and great pad level, striking people,” Venables said, naming veterans Trent Wilson, Bishop Thomas and Nigel Smith III as the players who would absorb extra snaps at defensive tackle. Oklahoma’s first SEC availability report, released Wednesday, listed Stone as questionable for Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Sanford Stadium in Athens.

Why Losing Stone Would Be a Massive Blow

Stone is not just a name on the depth chart — he is one of the most productive interior defenders in the country and a projected first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-3, 315-pound junior was a preseason first-team All-American and a preseason All-SEC selection after a breakout sophomore season in which he racked up 42 total tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks while helping anchor a Sooners defense that led the SEC in total defense, scoring defense and sacks.

His 2026 season started slowly — just four tackles combined in wins over UTEP and Michigan — before he broke out against New Mexico with a career-high eight tackles, two tackles for loss and half a sack, reaffirming exactly why Oklahoma’s defense is built around him up front. Losing that kind of disruptive force for a road game against a Georgia offense that will look to establish the run and control tempo would force Wilson, Thomas and Smith into far bigger roles than Oklahoma has needed from them so far this season.

What the Betting Market Is Saying

Despite the uncertainty around Stone, the point spread has not moved against Oklahoma since the injury news broke — if anything, the number has ticked slightly in the Sooners’ favor. Georgia opened as roughly a 14-point favorite earlier in the week, and by Thursday several sportsbooks had the line down to Georgia -13.5, with the total sitting at 44.5 and Georgia’s moneyline in the -590 to -630 range against Oklahoma’s +425 to +450.

That half-point drift suggests oddsmakers are not treating Stone’s status as a line-altering variable just yet, likely because his “questionable” tag and the relatively mild 2 out of 10 pain report leave real uncertainty about whether he even sits out. If Stone is officially ruled out closer to kickoff, expect renewed attention on whether the number moves further toward Georgia, given how much defensive line disruption Oklahoma would be surrendering against a Bulldogs offense that has its own banged-up pieces to work through, including questionable tags on running back Nate Frazier and receiver Isiah Canion. For now, the market is treating this as a game-week storyline to track rather than a line-mover — but that could change fast depending on Friday’s final injury report.