Reflecting on Stanford's 2014 series of camps...
June camp week
QB
Rightly or wrongly, the quarterback position acted as something akin to a luxury item in Stanford's 2015 recruiting. While the Cardinal pushed for talented quarterbacks at various points in the recruiting cycle, there was never a sense that they absolutely needed to ink one. At different points in the winter and early spring, the whole concept was still the subject of some debate, with the Cardinal considering their options at quarterback, but not committing to taking a scholarship signal caller in 2015, much less extending another QB offer after Ricky Town.
As the spring progressed, Stanford honed in on several quality quarterbacks that it attempted to bring to camp. Among them was then-Penn State commitment Brandon Wimbush. So as to not cause a stir, Winbush and Stanford stealthily arranged his visit. (The idea that Wimbush was only camping because he wanted to improve his recruiting profile and wasn't seriously interested in Stanford was and remains laughable.) Though he did have moments of inaccuracy, Wimbush was generally very good at Stanford's camp. His physical gifts were on display, including a camp-record 73-yard throw in the long toss. Stanford offered Wimbush a scholarship the next day at the Cardinal's Junior Day, and it appeared for at least a month or so that there was a strong chance he would end up in Stanford's class. It's hard to say exactly when or why things fell through with Stanford, but the best guess is that a combination of an academic climb - Wimbush had work to do to be admitted and probably wouldn't have received an admissions decision until winter at earliest, which would have put him in a very uncomfortable and awkward position - and distance from home pushed him away from the Cardinal.
The other big-time 2015 QB in attendance was eventual USC signee Sam Darnold. The Southern California native missed part of his junior season with an injury and as a result was kind of flying under the recruiting radar, at least to the extent that he wasn't considered one of the top-tier of California quarterbacks. But Darnold was very good at camp, better than expected, and if Wimbush wasn't just a bit better in Stanford's eyes he may have received the Cardinal's scholarship. Instead, USC offered Darnold a few weeks after camp (while Stanford was still very much in the Wimbush sweepstakes), and Darnold committed to the Trojans shortly thereafter. Would Darnold have picked Stanford if he had both the Cardinal and USC offers? Hard to say. One of his high school coaches told me he thought it would have been 50/50 but that if Stanford offered immediately after camp that might have pushed Darnold to the Cardinal just because of the timing. Hard to say definitively, however.
Jacob Eason was the best 2016 QB at camp, and was among the best QB's I've seen in the Stanford camps I've covered, imo. However, he was enamored with Georgia, and Stanford ended up targeting K.J. Costello, who attended the July camp.
RB/FB
Like I mentioned in the previous post, there haven't been a ton of top RB's at recent camps, perhaps/probably because film evaluation is more valuable for the position. Eventual Michigan signee Karan Higdon was the big name among 2016 running backs, but Stanford was in a good spot with Bryce Love and Cameron Scarlett (and in the mix with Chris Warren) and presumably didn't see enough to offer.
The big movement in fullback recruiting came at July's Saturday Night Lights camp, but the Cardinal did give Southern California LB and eventual Harvard signee Anthony Camargo a look at the position, though it became apparent that wasn't his ideal spot.
WR/TE
Stanford's June camp yielded one 2015 receiver signee (and at least one potential 2016 signee) and also featured several other intriguing prospects.
Also notable was the omission of Cal commit Austin Aaron, who intended to camp but decided against it when, per sources, the Bears threatened his scholarship.
Perhaps the best wide receiver in attendance was 2015 under the radar Arkansas wideout Brandon Singelon. Singleton entered camp with only a handful of offers, but quickly showed that he was much better than his offer list indicated. Stanford opted to focus on higher-ranked receivers on its board throughout summer, however. The best information I received was that Singleton didn't want to do the academic stuff into the fall without an offer, and so he wasn't a candidate for a late offer, but I'm not 100 percent on that.
2015 Louisiana WR Jabiari Tyler, on the other hand, was very willing to do the academic work, and he ended up in Stanford's class as a result. Tyler's size is a limiting factor, but he showed his explosiveness at camp, and he jumped on a late offer from the Cardinal.
I believe Sacramento WR WR Justice Shelton-Mosley was also at the camp. Stanford liked him as a WR, and he was among the late WR offer options Stanford considered. The Cardinal ultimately didn't see enough to pull the trigger, and Shelton-Mosley ended up signing with Harvard.
As for the standout 2016 WR's -
Florida WR Tre Nixon managed to fly under the radar, even at camp, before receiving a Stanford offer this spring. Nixon could return to The Farm this summer, but there is a lot of competition in his recruitment.
Louisiana WR Mykel Jones, whose brother plays Junior College ball out in the Bay Area, was another camp star. Stanford offered him over summer, but the Cardinal did not make his top-five and has long faded from prime consideration.
Finally, Utah WR Simi Fehoko's strong camp performance helped establish him high on Stanford's receiver board. The Cardinal offered him earlier this year and is the favorite in his recruitment.
There were two solid tight ends in attendance - Kaden Smith and eventual Duke commit, four-star Mark Birmingham. Like he did the previous summer, Smith dominated, both as a receiver and blocker. Birmingham also impressed, but he didn't unseat Smith as the clear alpha dog of tight ends in attendance - and quite possibly tight ends in the entire 2016 class, nor did he receive a Stanford offer.
OL
As is generally the case, there were a number of Power 5 caliber offensive linemen in attendance at camp. Two of Stanford's four 2015 offensive line signees camped with the Cardinal in June: Austin Maihen and Jack Dreyer. (Dreyer also camped with Stanford in July.) So did two of the Cardinal's 2016 offensive line targets, commit Clark Yarbrough and offensive guard prospect John Raridon.
At a legitimate 6-foot-7-plus, Dreyer showed significant improvement at Stanford's camps in 2014 - he also camped with the Cardinal the previous summer. His very strong performance at the June camp vaulted him up Stanford's tackle board, and was a very significant first step in him eventually earning an offer - more on that in the July camp portion of the post.
To be completely honest, I'm not sure what ended up happening with Texas OL signee Connor Williams, who played tight end earlier in his school career before moving to offensive tackle. Stanford definitely didn't offer in the immediate aftermath of camp. I'm not entirely sure why (aside from the obvious possibility that Stanford's evaluation was not as positive as it was with some other players), but one concern I heard was the thinking that Williams was a bit on the raw side due to his recent position switch. Williams committed to Texas in early September. It was mentioned that Stanford actually did offer Williams late in the summer, but I don't have firsthand knowledge of how that all played out.
Austin Maihen didn't receive a Stanford offer immediately following camp, either. But he made a positive impression on the Cardinal, and the two sides stayed in touch in the months following. Stanford offered Maihen during the season, and from there it was just a matter of Maihen getting admitted. Once he was accepted into the school, Maihen committed to the Cardinal.
Tackle Jared Southers, who ended up signing with Vanderbilt, had a strong performance at camp. And he was, at least briefly, considered for an offer. But Jack Dreyer eventually got the nod, due in part to his repeat performance at Stanford's one-day July camp.
One of the best linemen at the camp with Mission Viejo's Cole Smith. The only problem was that Stanford received a commitment from fellow center Brian Chaffin a few days prior to the start of camp. Smith could potentially play another interior line spot, but with two interior linemen already committed in Chaffin and Nick Wilson, the Cardinal didn't end up offering immediately following camp. USC did, however, and the Trojan legacy Smith jumped on that, ending the Cardinal's courtship.
Another center prospect in attendance was Cal commit Ryan Gibson. Interestingly enough, Gibson actually committed to the Golden Bears the day before Stanford's camp, but he participated anyway. But Gibson was solid, not spectacular at the camp, and with a less than ideal frame, Stanford didn't come particularly close to offering.
One of the top tackle recruits at camp with Sage Hardin, who ended up signing with Georgia. Unfortunately for the Cardinal and Hardin, however, he suffered an injury early in camp and was not able to participate in the many of the drills.
As for the headline 2016 prospects in attendance, neither Raridon nor Yarbrough were dominant a la Tristen Hoge in the summer of 2013 (which, given the development curve for offensive linemen, was not shocking), but both clearly showed ability and the Cardinal liked what they at camp, along with in film and other evaluation, enough to extend offers.
A total unknown entering camp, 2015 Canadian OL AJ McFarlane impressed with his tenacity and ability. Stanford pursued him as a walk-on, but McFarlane was unable to gain acceptance into the university.
June camp week
QB
Rightly or wrongly, the quarterback position acted as something akin to a luxury item in Stanford's 2015 recruiting. While the Cardinal pushed for talented quarterbacks at various points in the recruiting cycle, there was never a sense that they absolutely needed to ink one. At different points in the winter and early spring, the whole concept was still the subject of some debate, with the Cardinal considering their options at quarterback, but not committing to taking a scholarship signal caller in 2015, much less extending another QB offer after Ricky Town.
As the spring progressed, Stanford honed in on several quality quarterbacks that it attempted to bring to camp. Among them was then-Penn State commitment Brandon Wimbush. So as to not cause a stir, Winbush and Stanford stealthily arranged his visit. (The idea that Wimbush was only camping because he wanted to improve his recruiting profile and wasn't seriously interested in Stanford was and remains laughable.) Though he did have moments of inaccuracy, Wimbush was generally very good at Stanford's camp. His physical gifts were on display, including a camp-record 73-yard throw in the long toss. Stanford offered Wimbush a scholarship the next day at the Cardinal's Junior Day, and it appeared for at least a month or so that there was a strong chance he would end up in Stanford's class. It's hard to say exactly when or why things fell through with Stanford, but the best guess is that a combination of an academic climb - Wimbush had work to do to be admitted and probably wouldn't have received an admissions decision until winter at earliest, which would have put him in a very uncomfortable and awkward position - and distance from home pushed him away from the Cardinal.
The other big-time 2015 QB in attendance was eventual USC signee Sam Darnold. The Southern California native missed part of his junior season with an injury and as a result was kind of flying under the recruiting radar, at least to the extent that he wasn't considered one of the top-tier of California quarterbacks. But Darnold was very good at camp, better than expected, and if Wimbush wasn't just a bit better in Stanford's eyes he may have received the Cardinal's scholarship. Instead, USC offered Darnold a few weeks after camp (while Stanford was still very much in the Wimbush sweepstakes), and Darnold committed to the Trojans shortly thereafter. Would Darnold have picked Stanford if he had both the Cardinal and USC offers? Hard to say. One of his high school coaches told me he thought it would have been 50/50 but that if Stanford offered immediately after camp that might have pushed Darnold to the Cardinal just because of the timing. Hard to say definitively, however.
Jacob Eason was the best 2016 QB at camp, and was among the best QB's I've seen in the Stanford camps I've covered, imo. However, he was enamored with Georgia, and Stanford ended up targeting K.J. Costello, who attended the July camp.
RB/FB
Like I mentioned in the previous post, there haven't been a ton of top RB's at recent camps, perhaps/probably because film evaluation is more valuable for the position. Eventual Michigan signee Karan Higdon was the big name among 2016 running backs, but Stanford was in a good spot with Bryce Love and Cameron Scarlett (and in the mix with Chris Warren) and presumably didn't see enough to offer.
The big movement in fullback recruiting came at July's Saturday Night Lights camp, but the Cardinal did give Southern California LB and eventual Harvard signee Anthony Camargo a look at the position, though it became apparent that wasn't his ideal spot.
WR/TE
Stanford's June camp yielded one 2015 receiver signee (and at least one potential 2016 signee) and also featured several other intriguing prospects.
Also notable was the omission of Cal commit Austin Aaron, who intended to camp but decided against it when, per sources, the Bears threatened his scholarship.
Perhaps the best wide receiver in attendance was 2015 under the radar Arkansas wideout Brandon Singelon. Singleton entered camp with only a handful of offers, but quickly showed that he was much better than his offer list indicated. Stanford opted to focus on higher-ranked receivers on its board throughout summer, however. The best information I received was that Singleton didn't want to do the academic stuff into the fall without an offer, and so he wasn't a candidate for a late offer, but I'm not 100 percent on that.
2015 Louisiana WR Jabiari Tyler, on the other hand, was very willing to do the academic work, and he ended up in Stanford's class as a result. Tyler's size is a limiting factor, but he showed his explosiveness at camp, and he jumped on a late offer from the Cardinal.
I believe Sacramento WR WR Justice Shelton-Mosley was also at the camp. Stanford liked him as a WR, and he was among the late WR offer options Stanford considered. The Cardinal ultimately didn't see enough to pull the trigger, and Shelton-Mosley ended up signing with Harvard.
As for the standout 2016 WR's -
Florida WR Tre Nixon managed to fly under the radar, even at camp, before receiving a Stanford offer this spring. Nixon could return to The Farm this summer, but there is a lot of competition in his recruitment.
Louisiana WR Mykel Jones, whose brother plays Junior College ball out in the Bay Area, was another camp star. Stanford offered him over summer, but the Cardinal did not make his top-five and has long faded from prime consideration.
Finally, Utah WR Simi Fehoko's strong camp performance helped establish him high on Stanford's receiver board. The Cardinal offered him earlier this year and is the favorite in his recruitment.
There were two solid tight ends in attendance - Kaden Smith and eventual Duke commit, four-star Mark Birmingham. Like he did the previous summer, Smith dominated, both as a receiver and blocker. Birmingham also impressed, but he didn't unseat Smith as the clear alpha dog of tight ends in attendance - and quite possibly tight ends in the entire 2016 class, nor did he receive a Stanford offer.
OL
As is generally the case, there were a number of Power 5 caliber offensive linemen in attendance at camp. Two of Stanford's four 2015 offensive line signees camped with the Cardinal in June: Austin Maihen and Jack Dreyer. (Dreyer also camped with Stanford in July.) So did two of the Cardinal's 2016 offensive line targets, commit Clark Yarbrough and offensive guard prospect John Raridon.
At a legitimate 6-foot-7-plus, Dreyer showed significant improvement at Stanford's camps in 2014 - he also camped with the Cardinal the previous summer. His very strong performance at the June camp vaulted him up Stanford's tackle board, and was a very significant first step in him eventually earning an offer - more on that in the July camp portion of the post.
To be completely honest, I'm not sure what ended up happening with Texas OL signee Connor Williams, who played tight end earlier in his school career before moving to offensive tackle. Stanford definitely didn't offer in the immediate aftermath of camp. I'm not entirely sure why (aside from the obvious possibility that Stanford's evaluation was not as positive as it was with some other players), but one concern I heard was the thinking that Williams was a bit on the raw side due to his recent position switch. Williams committed to Texas in early September. It was mentioned that Stanford actually did offer Williams late in the summer, but I don't have firsthand knowledge of how that all played out.
Austin Maihen didn't receive a Stanford offer immediately following camp, either. But he made a positive impression on the Cardinal, and the two sides stayed in touch in the months following. Stanford offered Maihen during the season, and from there it was just a matter of Maihen getting admitted. Once he was accepted into the school, Maihen committed to the Cardinal.
Tackle Jared Southers, who ended up signing with Vanderbilt, had a strong performance at camp. And he was, at least briefly, considered for an offer. But Jack Dreyer eventually got the nod, due in part to his repeat performance at Stanford's one-day July camp.
One of the best linemen at the camp with Mission Viejo's Cole Smith. The only problem was that Stanford received a commitment from fellow center Brian Chaffin a few days prior to the start of camp. Smith could potentially play another interior line spot, but with two interior linemen already committed in Chaffin and Nick Wilson, the Cardinal didn't end up offering immediately following camp. USC did, however, and the Trojan legacy Smith jumped on that, ending the Cardinal's courtship.
Another center prospect in attendance was Cal commit Ryan Gibson. Interestingly enough, Gibson actually committed to the Golden Bears the day before Stanford's camp, but he participated anyway. But Gibson was solid, not spectacular at the camp, and with a less than ideal frame, Stanford didn't come particularly close to offering.
One of the top tackle recruits at camp with Sage Hardin, who ended up signing with Georgia. Unfortunately for the Cardinal and Hardin, however, he suffered an injury early in camp and was not able to participate in the many of the drills.
As for the headline 2016 prospects in attendance, neither Raridon nor Yarbrough were dominant a la Tristen Hoge in the summer of 2013 (which, given the development curve for offensive linemen, was not shocking), but both clearly showed ability and the Cardinal liked what they at camp, along with in film and other evaluation, enough to extend offers.
A total unknown entering camp, 2015 Canadian OL AJ McFarlane impressed with his tenacity and ability. Stanford pursued him as a walk-on, but McFarlane was unable to gain acceptance into the university.
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