Five-Star Plus+ DL David Stone talks top schools ahead of commitment date

We are a week away from hearing the college decision of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy Five-Star Plus+ defensive lineman David Stone, and he broke down his top schools with On3 on Friday night.

Stone will announce his college decision on August 26, live on ESPN ahead of IMG Academy’s game against St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.). The decision is down to Oklahoma, Miami and Michigan State.

Stone, an Oklahoma City native, played his first two seasons of high school football in Oklahoma. The Sooners are pushing heavily for his recruitment, and he noted the family atmosphere in Norman as a positive about the program.

“The coaching staff,” Stone told On3 regarding what intrigues him about Oklahoma. “I mean, they have a pretty good coaching staff, they’ve been together for a while. Everyone is well-connected, it’s like a family there. I know most of everyone’s family on the staff, it’s just a good family feel there.”

Oklahoma commands an impressive lead in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine for Stone’s commitment, sitting with a 79.1% chance to lands the elite defensive lineman.

Miami, MSU battling Oklahoma for Stone

Miami has been coming on strong for Stone, who now attends Florida’s IMG Academy.

“It’s been a lot,” Stone said about Miami’s message. “They called me before the game, actually, they wished me luck. They were on the phone with my family when they were driving up here. Man, they’ve just been real on me heavy. They’ve been connecting with my family a lot, I like that. That’s something I look for in a school. Because they’ve been reaching out and ever since I’ve been on my first visit there, that family atmosphere at Miami has always been there. It hasn’t changed, it’s been consistent. I really like that.”

Michigan State has been among the frontrunners of the battle for Stone’s commitment perhaps longer than any school. The Spartans went through coaching changes in the middle of Stone’s recruitment, but have stayed in communication with him throughout.

“I’ve been loving that school for the longest,” Stone said. “It’s been my favorite school since my first visit there. I fell in love with the place. I love all the players on this team. They still hit me up every day and they’re in camp. I just really love being at Michigan State. East Lansing has been like a second home to me.”

As for what to expect next weekend, Stone told On3 that how his family is treated and taken care of plays a vital role.

“Mainly my family. I just want to make sure that they’re taken care of,” Stone said about key factors in his decision. “That’s the biggest thing for me. I want to make sure that if I was to go down or something bad happened, I’d make sure that they’re still okay and taken care of while I’m getting ready for whatever my life has in store over the next 10 years.”

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