For much of the last fall, as the current team was piling up wins and climbing the national rankings, the Stanford recruiting class was also performing well. Bolstered by the early commitments of four-star players from all corners of the country, the 2011 class was ranked in the top ten -- or even the top five -- by various recruiting services. For a time it looked as if Jim Harbaugh had done the impossible -- Stanford Football had become a force not only on the football field but also in the battles waged in the living rooms of the nation's top recruits.
As the shine of Stanford's Orange Bowl victory began to dissipate and Harbaugh moved on to the NFL, those recruiting rankings began to dip. It's tempting to blame the fall in ranking to Harbaugh's departure or the loss of two key recruits in the final week before national signing day, but that's not what happened. (Or at least it's not the only thing that happened.)
Because there is such a small number of high school players who possess both the academic credentials to gain admission to the university and the football talent to compete in the Pac-12, the Stanford coaching staff is forced to hit the ground early, often gathering verbal commitments from high school juniors. Of the nineteen players who signed letters of intent with Stanford on February 2nd, sixteen had committed before kicking off their senior seasons. (Two of them, wide receiver Ty Montgomery and quarterback Evan Crower, committed way back in 2009 before beginning their junior seasons.)
The result of this early stockpiling is an inflated ranking in comparison to the traditional football powers who typically put the final touches on their classes in the final days and hours before national signing day. USC, for instance, gained ten of its 29 commitments in the final month, including six who didn't make their choice until signing day, and vaulted past the Cardinal into the top five of most lists. Stanford's class didn't get weaker in the final days; other schools got stronger. (Yes, two noted four-star recruits jumped ship to USC, but four-star safety Wayne Lyons and three-star corner Ronnie Harris committed in the final month, almost evening things out.)
But here's the most important thing. The party line says that recruiting services measure forty-yard dash times, bench press reps, yards rushing, and tackles, but they simply can't quantify intangible qualities like heart and character. If we're to believe this -- and I definitely do -- we have to believe that a player who commits to Stanford University might be a bit smarter than one who doesn't. (The Wall Street Journal agrees.) He might be a bit more coachable. He might be a bit more driven. He might even play with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
When you combine players like this with outstanding coaching, you just might get a group of outstanding players who will develop into a dominant football team. Kind of like what happened in 2010. Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples looked back at the Class 0f 2008 recruiting rankings, and guess what he found? The two major recruiting indexes, Scout.com and Rivals.com, rated Stanford's class as 43rd and 50th respectively. Looking back three years later, Staples pegged the Cardinal class as sixth-best in the nation, though admittedly, Andrew Luck gets much of the credit for that. The point is still valid.
According to Rivals.com, Stanford's recruiting classes from 2009 and 2010 are rated 20th and 26th, and we've already seen big returns from those two groups with Zach Ertz, Tyler Gaffney, Shayne Skov, and Stepfan Taylor ('09) and Barry Browning, Blake Lueders, and Anthony Wilkerson ('10). As good as they look now, we won't be able to truly evaluate those two classes -- or certainly the Class of 2011 -- for quite some time. For now, though, let's take a look at the four-star recruits from the Class of 2011.
Brendon Austin/Offensive Line
6'5" 263 lbs
Austin is one of only two offensive linemen in this class, but he's a good one. He's the top-rated overall recruit coming out of Colorado, and according to all reports he has the athleticism to develop into a great lineman. At more than 260 pounds he's already a load, but with his height you can expect to see him tipping the scales north of 300 pounds once he breaks into the lineup in two years.
Charlie Hopkins/Defensive End
6'6" 240 lbs
Hopkins is another long-bodied lineman, but he projects to be a defensive end. I'm hard-pressed to remember the last true pass-rushing defensive end to wear the Cardinal red and white, but Hopkins could be the next (or the first). Linemen on both sides of the ball tend to take a bit longer to develop, so we probably won't see much of Hopkins until 2012 at the earliest, but I think we can expect big things from him once he gets on the field.
Wayne Lyons/Safety
6'0" 190 lbs
In my mind, Wayne Lyons is the most important recruit in this class, and not just because of the talent he brings to the table. Lyons is one of the top safety prospects in the country, and he will likely make an impact on the field even as a true freshman, but that's not what makes him so important. Lyons was one of the last recruits in this class to commit, making his announcement on January 8, just a few days after Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL, but before David Shaw was hired. Lyons was clearly choosing the University, regardless of who the head coach would me, and I have to believe that other recruits noticed. Even though his talent could take him to the NFL, Lyons is more than just a football player. It was noted recently in the Wall Street Journal that Lyons is "widely considered the best student among the nation's elite recruits." Where else could he have gone?
Ty Montgomery/Wide Receiver
6'0" 202 lbs
When I first wrote about Ty Montgomery during the fall, I mentioned that if Stanford expected to continue having success recruiting quarterbacks like Andrew Luck, it would have to recruit talented receivers to catch the ball. Montgomery fits that bill perfectly. He's tall enough to outsize most defensive backs, big enough to run through tackles, and fast enough to be a deep ball threat. He's one of the most talented members of this class, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he found his way onto the field in 2011 as a true freshman. You can watch his most recent highlight video here.
James Vaughters/Linebacker
6'2" 233 lbs
If Lyons is the most important member of this recruiting class, Vaughters might be the most talented and the one who makes the greatest on-field impact in 2011. After Harbaugh's departure from the program there were many reports indicating that Vaughters might look at other schools, but Vaughters stayed true to his commitment and will likely see playing time as a freshman. With linebackers Owen Marecic and Thomas Keiser moving on, Vaughters will compete for playing time right away. The prospect of Shayne Skov, Chase Thomas, Blake Lueders, and Vaughters patrolling the middle of the defense makes me wonder if we might be looking at the best linebacking corps to ever play at Stanford. We'll see.
Remound Wright/Running Back
5'9" 190 lbs
There was some concern during the final week before signing day that Wright might drop the Cardinal in favor of either Notre Dame or the University of Iowa, but he held firm. No surprise, really, since Wright is probably the most excited of all these recruits and probably played a part in solidifying Vaughters's commitment. That's all nice, but Wright's true impact will come on the field. Even though the running back position is perhaps the most populated spot on the Cardinal roster right now, this kid could have the talent to see the field some as a freshman. Even if he doesn't, though, his time will come. Trust me. Oh, and here's a stat for you: Mr. Wright has a bench press max of 330 pounds. Seriously.
Kelsey Young/Running Back
5'11" 192 lbs
The fastest player in this recruiting class, Young could develop into a legitimate home run threat out of the backfield. The one question about Young isn't as much about him specifically as it is the running back position in general. With all of the top runners returning from last year in sophomores Stepfan Taylor and Tyler Gaffney, freshman Anthony Wilkinson, and possibly even senior James Stewart, things are awfully crowded. Some of these players will likely be converted to receivers or defensive backs, but we certainly won't know who for quite some time, possibly as late as the fall. The most surprising thing of all this is that four-star recruit and longtime Cardinal commit Amir Carlisle might have chosen USC over Stanford because there will be less competition for him at Tailback U.
