Profile: You cannot watch tape of Elijah Higgins without thinking of current Stanford wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. The first four plays of his highlight film (see below) are different variations of what we've grown accustomed to seeing in the red zone from Arcegatron. There are boxouts and fades and jump balls, all plays designed to allow Higgins to use his size and strength to take advantage of overmatched defensive backs. Higgins and Arcega-Whiteside are the same height, and though Higgins is ten pounds lighter, he'll get there. If there's a difference between the two, it's that Higgins seems a bit faster, having clocked a 4.57 forty, and there are plenty of clips in his highlight which feature that speed as he leaves defenders in his wake.
Profile: Branson Bragg is not your typical blue chip recruit. Yes, if you walked past him in the mall you'd peg him as a football player, but would you guess he's also an accomplished jazz pianist? While some elite prospects might spend the morning of signing day soaking up the lime light by posting up in the quad and watching the cheerleaders walk by, Bragg instead opted for an early jam session with the Crandall Jazz Band. In a conversation with Alexa Philippou, Bragg dropped perhaps the most Stanford quote of all time, explaining "the contrast between being a really violent football player on the field and a soft-spoken piano player off the field." Is it any surprise that he chose the home of Intellectual Brutality?
Key Stats: Bishop O'Down|Oakland, CA Running Back|5'10"|200 pounds Rivals Rank: Four stars|#6 Running Back
Key Offers: Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, Princeton, UCLA, Washington
Profile: With Washington and Stanford the two finalists for his services, the recruitment of Austin Jones must have been interesting, to say the least. Jones's head coach at powerhouse Bishop O'Dowd was Napoleon Kaufman, the legendary Husky tailback. His running back coach? Stanford legend, Tommy Vardell. Assuming Jones looked to his two coaches for advice, we're lucky that Jones listened to Vardell and chose the Cardinal.
How good is Jones? The four-star prospect is the highest ranked back on the West Coast (sixth in the nation, according to Rivals.com) and one of the most highly regarded running backs the Cardinal has ever landed, the type of player who opens eyes immediately. The first thing you notice when you cue the film of Austin Jones (see below) is his size. Although the University lists him at 5'11" and 190 pounds, Jones is no scatback. He runs much bigger than that profile, often pounding his way through tacklers to get tough yardage at the line of scrimmage, but also easily outdistancing defenders with breakaway speed. When you couple all that with his ability to catch passes out of the backfield, it's hard not to think back to Christian McCaffrey, but the better comparison is probably Todd Gurley II. It's a bit dangerous to compare a high school senior to one of the best running backs in the NFL, but there are similarities between the two.
Jones rushed for 2,005 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior, and added 27 catches for 378 yards receiving. Most Division I prospects will pile up numbers like that, especially on a team that advances deep into the playoffs (Bishop O'Dowd won the California Division II state championship), but it's important to note that Jones did this against some stiff competition, including a 213-yard rushing performance against national power Concord De La Salle.
When Jones arrives at Stanford in the summer, he'll encounter a running back depth chart that's about as unsettled as we've seen in the past eight or ten years. Cameron Scott and Trevor Speights are both experienced players who should get the bulk of the work, and rising sophomore Justus Woods has potential, but nothing about the running back rotation is clear right now. Considering this uncertainty, along with the four-game redshirt rule, it's a safe bet that Jones will get an on-field audition this fall. One thing is certain, however -- the future here is bright.
GMC Book Club
Over the past several years, GMC readers have donated a total of 515 books to my classroom! My students are always looking for new and exciting books, so if you'd like to contribute, simply click here! Or, click here to read my original post and find out more!
Aug. 30 vs. TCU
Sep. 7 vs. Cal Poly
Sep. 20 at Syracuse
Sep. 28 at Clemson
Oct. 5 vs. Virginia Tech
Oct. 12 at Notre Dame
Oct. 19 vs. SMU
Oct. 26 vs. Wake Forest
Nov. 2 at N.C. State
Nov. 16 vs. Louisville
Nov. 23 at Cal
Nov. 29 at San Jose State
2023 Schedule
Stanford 37, Hawai'i 24
USC 56, Stanford 10
Sacramento State 30, Stanford 23
Arizona 21, Stanford 20
Oregon 42, Stanford 6 Stanford 46, Colorado 43 (2OT)
UCLA 42, Stanford 7
Washington 42, Stanford 33
Stanford 10, Washington State 7
Oregon State 62, Stanford 17
California 27, Stanford 15
Notre Dame 56, Stanford 23
2022 Schedule
Stanford 41, Colgate 10 USC 41, Stanford 28
Washington 40, Stanford 22 Oregon 45, Stanford 27
Oregon State 28, Stanford 27 Stanford 16, Notre Dame 14
Stanford 15, Arizona State 14
UCLA 38, Stanford 13
Washington State 52, Stanford 14
Utah 42, Stanford 7
Cal 27, Stanford 20
BYU 35, Stanford 26