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Cardinal Class '15: Wesley Annan

Key Stats
Lake Forest Academy -- Lake Forest, Illinois
Defensive tackle. 6'4" 290 pounds.
Rivals Rank: Three stars; #31 defensive tackle.
ESPN Rank: Three stars; #77 defensive tackle.
Scout Rank: Three stars; #57 defensive tackle.
247 Rank: Three stars; #36 defensive tackle.
Key Offers: Harvard, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, Mississippi State

Without question, the biggest area of concern on the Stanford roster is the defensive line. There are only six linemen on the roster right now, and Wes Annan is lucky number seven. That might make Annan an ideal candidate to burn his redshirt at some point in 2015, just as fellow lineman Harrison Phillips did last season, but that probably isn't likely in this case. Annan arrives at Stanford with only two years of organized football experience. His gridiron potential was first identified at a small football program outside of Toronto, which led to his enrollment at the Lake Forest Academy, north of Chicago. (Here's a nice profile of Annan from the CBC News.)

What Annan offers the Cardinal is potential. He's already the biggest defensive lineman on the Stanford roster, and it's likely that he'll pack on another twenty to thirty pounds of muscle once he begins consistent work with strength and conditioning coach Shannon Turley. But perhaps the biggest factor to consider with Annan is his learning curve. Two years from now, in addition to that added strength and weight, he will have doubled his football experience, something that can't be said for anyone else on the team. Annan is a diamond in the rough, and he'll likely be shining soon.

Cardinal Class '15: J.J. Arcega-Whiteside

Key Stats
Dorman High School -- Roebuck, South Carolina
Wide receiver. 6'3" 208 pounds.
Rivals Rank: Three stars; #62 wide receiver.
ESPN Rank: Three stars; #118 wide receiver.
Scout Rank: Three stars; #87 wide receiver.
247 Rank: Three stars; #79 wide receiver.
Key Offers: Georgia Tech, Harvard, Maryland, Michigan State

Following J.J. Arcega-Whiteside's senior season, the accolades gathered at his feet like fallen leaves on an autumn afternoon. He collected 108 receptions for 1,824 yards and 20 touchdowns, statistics which earned him the Gatorade Player of the Year for South Carolina, a spot in the state's 2015 Shrine Bowl, and a position on the 2015 Parade All-America team alongside new teammate Trent Irwin.

Arcega-Whiteside used his size and speed to accumulate those impressive high school numbers. Highlights from his senior season show him outleaping defenders on deep balls, running through linebackers over the middle, and sprinting past the defense on screens and underneath routes. He also excels at catches in traffic, a rare attribute for a prep player and something that will serve him well at the next level. 

The Cardinal currently has a great deal of wide receiver depth, with Devon Cajuste, Michael Rector, and Francis Owusu likely sitting atop the depth chart and incoming freshman Trent Irwin challenging for playing time, so it would be a surprise to see anything from Arcega-Whiteside in 2015. But considering the talent waiting at the quarterback position (Ryan Burns, Keller Chryst, and K.J. Costello), there's no doubt that he'll develop into a mainstay of the Stanford offense in years to come.

Cardinal Class '15: Jake Bailey

Key Stats
Santa Fe Christian School -- Solana Beach, California
Kicker. 6'2" 185 pounds.
Rivals Rank: Two stars.
ESPN Rank: Three stars; #4 kicker.
Scout Rank: Three stars.
247 Rank: Two stars; #6 kicker.

There are a handful of incoming freshmen who will have the opportunity to play and make an impact this season, and Jake Bailey is definitely on that short list. With the departure of Jordan Williamson and the poor showing of both remaining kickers in spring, Bailey will have a good shot at winning either the starting place kicking or punting job this summer, possibly both.

A kicker's highlight tapes aren't quite as exciting as, say, a running back's (Bailey's are impressive, though; he's got a powerful leg), but you know what is fun to watch? Bailey's non-kicking highlights. He focused on his kicking game as a senior in order to avoid injury, but he played defensive back and wide receiver earlier in his high school career, and he shows an athleticism in those clips that would make most kickers envious. In fact, because of Bailey's size and confidence as a ball carrier, I'm quite certain we'll see more than a few fake punts over the next four years. But even if we don't, Bailey will still make an impact with his kicking alone. He's that good.

Cardinal Class '15: Mustafa Branch

Key Stats
Bellevue High School -- Bellevue, Washington
Inside linebacker. 5'11" 220 pounds.
Rivals Rank: Three stars; #55 outside linebacker.
ESPN Rank: Three stars; #72 outside linebacker.
Scout Rank: Three stars; #20 middle linebacker.
247 Rank: Three stars; #41 inside linebacker.
Key Offers: Colorado, Oregon State, Utah, Washington State

Mustafa Branch isn't as big as some of the inside linebackers we've grown accustomed to seeing in the middle of the Stanford defense, but his game film shows a player whose instinct and intensity make up for any deficiencies in size. Branch excels at reading the play and tracking down ball carriers, whether that's a quarterback who's rolling out on a designed run or a running back darting through the line. He's athletic enough, however, to be effective in pass coverage as well, and his ball skills are above average for a linebacker.

The Cardinal currently has a great deal of depth at inside linebacker, with returning starter Blake Martinez and contributors Noor Davis and Kevin Palma returning as well as prospects Bobby Okereke and Jordan Perez set to emerge,  so Branch will have time to develop and adjust to the college game. After a likely redshirt season this fall, Branch could easily see the field in some capacity in 2016.

 

Cardinal Class '15: Frank Buncom IV

Key Stats
St. Augustine High School School -- San Diego, California
Cornerback. 6'2" 190 pounds.
Rivals Rank: Four stars; #15 cornerback.
ESPN Rank: Four stars; #11 safety.
Scout Rank: Four stars; #8 safety.
247 Rank: Four stars; #13 cornerback.
Key Offers: Arizona, Arizona State, Harvard, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, UCLA, Washington

If there was one member of the Class of 2015 who seemed destined for Stanford University, it was Frank Buncom IV. Buncum didn't make his commitment official until rather late in the process, just a week or so before signing day, but he had a crush on the Cardinal that dated back to early in his recruitment.

Before we even discuss his football ability, we have to address the rest of the package. Buncom's academics were never in question; in addition of the Harvard offer listed above, he also turned down overtures from two other Ivy League schools, Penn and Yale. Buncum won the prestigious Watkins Award, which is given annually to the nation's top African-American Scholar Athlete (two other members of Card Class 15, Bryce Love and Justin Reid, were finalists, and Bobby Okereke was the winner in 2014), and he has spoken about studying neurology in college.  (For a deeper look at this cerebral young man, take a peek at this interview.)

When we see him on the football field -- perhaps as early as this fall -- he will be equally impressive. His senior season highlights show a dynamic player scoring in a variety of ways -- punt returns, fly patterns, quick hitches -- but he'll be playing defense for the Cardinal. He's a big, physical defender, the type of player who will thrive under Coach Duane Akina's tutelage. Much of what see of him on film shows him playing close to the line of scrimmage as a run-stopping safety, but Stanford sees him as a corner, and there's little doubt that he'll thrive at that position, putting his wide receiver background to good use, just like a certain Cardinal alum that we all know. Expect big things from Frank Buncom IV. He will not disappoint.

Cardinal Class '15: Brian Chaffin

Key Stats
Charlotte Christian School -- Charlotte, North Carolina
Center. 6'1" 286 pounds.
Rivals Rank: Three stars; #10 center.
ESPN Rank: Four stars; #4 center.
Scout Rank: Three stars; #8 center.
247 Rank: Four stars; #6 center.
Key Offers: Cal, Duke, Kansas State, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech

Whether he's lined up at center, guard, or tackle, the one thing that jumps out from Brian Chaffin's senior highlight film is his absolute tenacity as a run blocker. He has that mean streak that Cardinal coaches and players always used to rave about in David DeCastro, that innate desire to dominate the man across the line of scrimmage from him. In clip after clip, Chaffin locks up against a defender and simply moves him, but not from Point A to Point B, as line coaches will often ask. Chaffin moves his man from Point A to the Point of No Return. Sometimes he pancakes the defender into the turf, other times he drives him twenty yards out of the play, stopping only when he's taken him completely out of bounds.

As versatile as he was in high school, his lack of height makes him a center at the collegiate level, and the Stanford coaches are thrilled to have a true center to work with. In that position he'll need to be the quarterback of the offensive line, not only calling out blocking schemes but also serving as a leader for the most important unit on the field. Chaffin already demonstrated a considerable amount of leadership in helping to assemble this class. The coaching staff has indicated that he was one of the most active recruiters they had, and his importance to this group will no doubt continue to grow over the next four to five years.

Cardinal Class '15: Jack Dryer

Key Stats
Junípero Serra High School -- San Mateo, California
Offensive tackle. 6'8" 285 pounds.
Rivals Rank: Three stars; #34 offensive tackle.
ESPN Rank: Three stars; #78 offensive tackle.
Scout Rank: Three stars; #74 offensive tackle.
247 Rank: Three stars; #90 offensive tackle.
Key Offers: Arizona State, Cal, Harvard, Nebraska, Utah, Wisconsin

I'm guessing that if you're a Division I football player, you're probably used to being the biggest person in most rooms you enter. After all, there aren't too many people in the world who are 6'5" or 6'6". Things are different with Jack Dreyer. At six-foot-eight, he's also the biggest person in most football locker rooms he'll ever enter, including Stanford's. In fact, I don't think I'm going too far out a limb in guessing that he's probably the tallest player in Stanford football history.

But how does that height translate on the football field? One look at Dreyer's game film and the answer is pretty simple: it doesn't hurt being the biggest guy out there. He is physically dominant, often bull rushing defenders five or ten yards out of the play before driving them into the turf and asking them how it felt. If there's any concern it's that he seems more comfortable starting with his hands on his knees than in a three-point stance, but the Stanford coaches know him well. If they aren't worried about that, there's no  reason I should be.

If Dreyer can add another twenty or thirty pounds without sacrificing his quickness and athleticism, he has the potential to develop into one of the top offensive tackles in the Pac-12. Pretty much business as usual for the Tunnel Workers Union.

Cardinal Class '15: Ben Edwards

Key Stats
Trinity Christian Academy -- Jacksonville, Florida
Safety. 6'0" 196 pounds.
Rivals Rank: Four stars; #10 safety.
ESPN Rank: Four stars; #13 safety.
Scout Rank: Three stars; #38 safety.
247 Rank: Three stars; #27 safety.
Key Offers: Auburn, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, UCLA

Ben Edwards's recruiting odyssey was long and winding, featuring early commitments to Ohio State and Auburn, but he finally settled on the Cardinal, and Stanford fans will be grateful for the next four years.

A hard-hitting safety in the mold of Jordan Richards, Edwards will push for playing time soon and rule the middle of Stanford's back line of defense with an iron fist. He excels in run support, and his game film shows evidence of a player who can track running backs along the line of scrimmage before bursting through a wall of blockers to lay crushing hits both in traffic and in the open field. He's equally effective sitting back in pass coverage, and those receivers who dared make catches in front of him often paid dearly.

Stanford defensive back coach Duane Akina is perhaps Edwards's biggest fan, and it's fun to imagine how good Edwards will become under Akina's tutelage. Along with Frank Buncom IV, Quenton Meeks, and Justin Reid, Edwards gives the Cardinal as good a group of defensive back recruits as any in the country, and it won't be long before all four of them are on field in Cardinal and White.

Cardinal Class '15: Jordan Fox

Key Stats
St. Peter's Prep -- Jersey City, New Jersey
Outside linebacker. 6'2" 228 pounds.
Rivals Rank: Three stars; #54 outside linebacker.
ESPN Rank: Three stars; #46 outside linebacker.
Scout Rank: Three stars; #37 middle linebacker.
247 Rank: Three stars; #35 outside linebacker.
Key Offers: Georgia, Miami, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin

Jordan Fox is a versatile, athletic linebacker who will fit well into the Stanford system. He has played both the inside and outside linebacker positions (note his rankings above), so it isn't yet clear where he'll fit for the Cardinal, but that's a good thing. Given the squad's current depth at linebacker, Fox will have a year or two to develop as he waits his turn, and during that time it's likely that he'll find a position to focus on. His game film shows him at both spots, but wherever he's playing he lines up in a traditional linebacker stance. Even so, he specializes at wreaking havoc in the backfield, whether he's wrapping up a quarterback on a blitz or blasting through the line of scrimmage to pull down a running back.

Fox will likely see the field in 2016 or '17, and when he does he'll be ready to keep Stanford's linebacker tradition going strong.

Cardinal Class '15: Houston Heimuli

Key Stats
Bountiful High School -- Bountiful, Utah
Fullback. 5'11" 220 pounds.
Rivals Rank: Three stars; #4 fullback.
ESPN Rank: Three stars; #2 fullback.
Scout Rank: Three stars; #2 fullback.
247 Rank: Three stars; #9 fullback.
Key Offers: Air Force

There aren't too many programs in America that still utilize the fullback as much as Stanford, so it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that two of the top five fullback recruits in the nation chose the Cardinal this February. Houston Heimuli will be serving a mission in Indianapolis for the next two years (I truly hope that he ends up knocking on Andrew Luck's door one evening), but when he arrives in Palo Alto in the summer of 2017, I have no doubt that he will arrive with authority.

Many college fullbacks are actually converts from other positions, linebackers or offensive linemen who are too small for the college game or running backs who aren't quite elusive enough. Heimuli, however, is a true fullback from a pro-style offense. His highlight tape shows him doing all the things he'll be asked to do for the Cardinal -- serving as a battering ram on inside runs, sprinting outside to bury linebackers on sweeps, flaring out of the backfield to catch passes, and getting occasional carries up the middle.

With Patrick Skov on the roster right now, Reagan Williams arriving this summer, and Heimuli on the way, the Cardinal is set at fullback for at least the next six years. Which is nice.