NORMAN — As Oklahoma opens fall camp, roughly a dozen questions loom over the program heading into 2026. One other question deserves attention, though it likely won’t be the topic of debate around the office water cooler Monday morning.Team captains are the heartbeat of a program — they set the tone. OU has yet to reveal its captains for the year. But David Stone did everyone a favor and broke some news."This is my first ever time being a captain of any team," Stone said after the Sooners' third Fall Camp practice. "I told the guys, 'I’m grateful for the opportunity that you guys are giving me. I know it comes with a lot of weight, so I’m going to try to live up to that.'"Stone knew quickly that he had revealed something he shouldn't have. But more importantly, he revealed that his growth as a leader did not come by default.To the shock of no one, #Sooners DL David Stone dropped that he was voted a captain. He didn't want to say anything more on the team captain front, but he revealed his growth as a leader in just this offseason.@SoonersOnSI pic.twitter.com/JFB4rkNd9z— Brady Trantham (@BradyDoesSports) August 7, 2026"Honestly, I struggled at first," Stone said.Stone missed Oklahoma's spring practices to rehab an injury. He was as involved as he could have been — so much so that Todd Bates would often ask him to go back to the side as he attempted to sneak in a rep.Still, Stone prefers to lead from the front line, not the sideline. It led to some minor struggles internally for him during the offseason."Early on in the spring, I kind of struggled being a leader, because I wasn’t actively in the role with the guys. I wasn’t on the field with them. But I had to learn how to be a vocal leader to the guys, and so it really challenged me from a leadership role," Stone said.Nevertheless, Stone has persevered through injury rehabilitation and bouts of imposter syndrome during the offseason to become one of the unquestioned faces of the program."I listened to the feedback from the guys — I’m trying to get feedback so I can better be that leader for (the team) and push (them) to be their best version. And so for me it was really just learning how to adapt my style of leadership and grow as a player and overall person," Stone said.Stone’s growth from simply trying to get on the field as a freshman — when he “struggled mentally dealing with all the pressure” — to leading the 2026 Sooners from the front symbolizes the program's climb back from the abyss it fell into in 2024."We have a common goal, it’s to be great, dominant," Stone said.Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow