[washingtonismoney]

My casual impression is that the 2015 team had an unusual quantity of contributions from freshman players, particularly given its quality and the stage of development in the program's history. But I wanted to actually collate the records and see whether that's actually true. This turned out long, so I'm splitting over two posts.

2009*:

True Freshmen:
S. Taylor (303 yards, 5.4 YPC)
T. Gaffney (87 yards, 4 YPC)
Jamal-Rashad Patterson (22 rushing yards, 1 TD; -1 receiving yards)
Drew Terrell (71 punt return yards)
Terrence Stephens (4 assisted tackles)
Shayne Skov (62 total tackles, 3 TFL, 1 PBU)

Redshirt freshmen:
Andrew Luck (won't bother recapping achievements)
David DeCastro (honorable mention all-conference)
Jonathan Martin (HM all-conference)
Chase Thomas (36 tackles, 7 TFL, 4 sacks, 2 fumbles forced)
Quinn Evans (7 tackles)
Harold Bernard (5 tackles)


2010:

True Freshmen
Anthony Wilkerson: 408 yards, 4.6 YPC
Blake Lueders: 6 tackles
Barry Browning: 15 tackles

Redshirt Freshmen:
Jemari Roberts: ...
Khalil Wilkes: ...
Josh Nunes: ...
Usua Amanam (an RB, at that point): 126 yards, 4.5 YPC
Ryan Hewitt: ...
Josh Mauro: 7 tackles
Ben Gardner: 4 tackles
Terrence Brown: 5 tackles

2011:
True Freshmen:
Ty Montgomery: 350 receiving yards, 2 RecTD; 42 rush yards, 1 TD; 1 KR TD
Jordan Richards: 31 tackles, 1 PBU
James Vaughters: 11 tackles

Redshirt freshmen:
David Yankey
Cameron Fleming: All-Pac-12 honorable mention
AJ Tarpley: 57 tackles, 4 TFL, 4 PBU 1 INT, 1.5 Sacks
Henry Anderson: 6 tackles, 2 QB Hurries
Jordan Williamson: 13/19 FGs

2012:
True Freshmen:
Alex Carter: 46 tackles, 3 TFL, 3 fumbles forced, 1 PBU
Zach Hoffpauir: 11 tackles, 1 PBU
Blake Martinez: 4 tackles, 1 QB hurry
Drew Madhu: 2 tackles
Aziz Shittu: 1 tackle
Andrus Peat: averaged 20 snaps/game (per: http://www.gostanford.com/ViewArticle.db...=208167697)
Josh Garnett: 1 start
Kyle Murphy: averaged 25 snaps/game (http://www.gostanford.com/ViewArticle.db...=208167713)
Kodi Whitfield: 13 receiving yards
Luke Kaumatule: ….

Redshirt freshmen:
Wayne Lyons: 25 tackles, 1 INT
Ronnie Harris: 11 tackles, 2 PBU, 1 fumble forced
Kevin Anderson: 7 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 PBU, 1 fumble forced
Kevin Hogan: come on, you know.
Kelsey Young: 160 rushing yards, 74 receiving yards, 2 rushing TDs
Remound Wright: 81 rushing yards, 35 receiving yards, 1 TD

2013:
True Freshmen:
Francis Owusu: 56 receiving yards, 1 TD

Redshirt freshmen:
Michael Rector: 431 yards, 27 rushing yards, 3 TD
Barry Sanders: 42 rushing yards, 36 receiving yards, 1 TD
Dallas Lloyd: 26 rushing yards
Noor Davis: 5 tackles
Conrad Ukropina: 2/4 FGs
2014:
True Freshmen:
Christian McCaffrey: come on, you know.
Casey Tucker: …
Terrence Alexander: 13 tackles, 1 INT
Harrison Phillips: 9 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks
Daniel Marx: 6 yards rushing

Redshirt freshmen:
Austin Hooper: 499 receiving yards, 2 TD
Greg Taboada: 136 receiving yards, 2 TD
Eric Cotton: 128 receiving yards
Peter Kalambayi: 32 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 2 QB hurries, 1 fumble forced, 1 PBU, 1 INT
Kevin Palma: 19 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 QB hurry, .5 sacks

2015:
True Freshmen:
Justin Reid: 23 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU
Mustafa Branch: 18 tackles
Ben Edwards: 9 tackles, 1 PBU
Trent Irwin: 150 receiving yards
Bryce Love: 226 rushing yards, 250 receiving yards, 2 rushing TDs, 1 receiving TD
Quenton Meeks: 35 tackles, 4 PBU, 3 INT, 1.5 TFL
Jake Bailey: 34.7 yards per punt

Redshirt freshmen:
Keller Chryst: pancake block, etc.
Dalton Schultz: 121 yards, 1 TD
Solomon Thomas: 39 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 3 sacks, 5 QB hurries
Alijah Holder: 37 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TFL, 7 PBU
Alameen Murphy: 44 tackles, .5 TFL, 1 PBU
Brandon Simmons: 8 tackles
Bobby Okereke: 6 tackles
Alfieri: 40 tackles, 7 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 5 QB hurries
Jordan Perez: 29 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PBU


* here are the depth charts I used as sources:
2009: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/stan.../depth.pdf
2010: http://www.gostanford.com/fls/30600/old_...M_ID=30600
2011: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/stan...121aaa.pdf
2014:
https://www.nmnathletics.com//pdf9/2844006.pdf

EDIT: evidently forgot some guys; thanks for pointing that out.
EDIT2: misclassified Perez; thanks terry.

[washingtonismoney]

My casual impression is that the 2015 team had an unusual quantity of contributions from freshman players, particularly given its quality and the stage of development in the program's history. But I wanted to actually collate the records and see whether that's actually true. This turned out long, so I'm splitting over two posts.

2009*:

True Freshmen:
S. Taylor (303 yards, 5.4 YPC)
T. Gaffney (87 yards, 4 YPC)
Jamal-Rashad Patterson (22 rushing yards, 1 TD; -1 receiving yards)
Drew Terrell (71 punt return yards)
Terrence Stephens (4 assisted tackles)
Shayne Skov (62 total tackles, 3 TFL, 1 PBU)

Redshirt freshmen:
Andrew Luck (won't bother recapping achievements)
David DeCastro (honorable mention all-conference)
Jonathan Martin (HM all-conference)
Chase Thomas (36 tackles, 7 TFL, 4 sacks, 2 fumbles forced)
Quinn Evans (7 tackles)
Harold Bernard (5 tackles)


2010:

True Freshmen
Anthony Wilkerson: 408 yards, 4.6 YPC
Blake Lueders: 6 tackles
Barry Browning: 15 tackles

Redshirt Freshmen:
Jemari Roberts: ...
Khalil Wilkes: ...
Josh Nunes: ...
Usua Amanam (an RB, at that point): 126 yards, 4.5 YPC
Ryan Hewitt: ...
Josh Mauro: 7 tackles
Ben Gardner: 4 tackles
Terrence Brown: 5 tackles

2011:
True Freshmen:
Ty Montgomery: 350 receiving yards, 2 RecTD; 42 rush yards, 1 TD; 1 KR TD
Jordan Richards: 31 tackles, 1 PBU
James Vaughters: 11 tackles

Redshirt freshmen:
David Yankey
Cameron Fleming: All-Pac-12 honorable mention
AJ Tarpley: 57 tackles, 4 TFL, 4 PBU 1 INT, 1.5 Sacks
Henry Anderson: 6 tackles, 2 QB Hurries
Jordan Williamson: 13/19 FGs

2012:
True Freshmen:
Alex Carter: 46 tackles, 3 TFL, 3 fumbles forced, 1 PBU
Zach Hoffpauir: 11 tackles, 1 PBU
Blake Martinez: 4 tackles, 1 QB hurry
Drew Madhu: 2 tackles
Aziz Shittu: 1 tackle
Andrus Peat: averaged 20 snaps/game (per: http://www.gostanford.com/ViewArticle.db...=208167697)
Josh Garnett: 1 start
Kyle Murphy: averaged 25 snaps/game (http://www.gostanford.com/ViewArticle.db...=208167713)
Kodi Whitfield: 13 receiving yards
Luke Kaumatule: ….

Redshirt freshmen:
Wayne Lyons: 25 tackles, 1 INT
Ronnie Harris: 11 tackles, 2 PBU, 1 fumble forced
Kevin Anderson: 7 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 PBU, 1 fumble forced
Kevin Hogan: come on, you know.
Kelsey Young: 160 rushing yards, 74 receiving yards, 2 rushing TDs
Remound Wright: 81 rushing yards, 35 receiving yards, 1 TD

2013:
True Freshmen:
Francis Owusu: 56 receiving yards, 1 TD

Redshirt freshmen:
Michael Rector: 431 yards, 27 rushing yards, 3 TD
Barry Sanders: 42 rushing yards, 36 receiving yards, 1 TD
Dallas Lloyd: 26 rushing yards
Noor Davis: 5 tackles
Conrad Ukropina: 2/4 FGs
2014:
True Freshmen:
Christian McCaffrey: come on, you know.
Casey Tucker: …
Terrence Alexander: 13 tackles, 1 INT
Harrison Phillips: 9 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks
Daniel Marx: 6 yards rushing

Redshirt freshmen:
Austin Hooper: 499 receiving yards, 2 TD
Greg Taboada: 136 receiving yards, 2 TD
Eric Cotton: 128 receiving yards
Peter Kalambayi: 32 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 2 QB hurries, 1 fumble forced, 1 PBU, 1 INT
Kevin Palma: 19 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 QB hurry, .5 sacks

2015:
True Freshmen:
Justin Reid: 23 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU
Mustafa Branch: 18 tackles
Ben Edwards: 9 tackles, 1 PBU
Trent Irwin: 150 receiving yards
Bryce Love: 226 rushing yards, 250 receiving yards, 2 rushing TDs, 1 receiving TD
Quenton Meeks: 35 tackles, 4 PBU, 3 INT, 1.5 TFL
Jake Bailey: 34.7 yards per punt

Redshirt freshmen:
Keller Chryst: pancake block, etc.
Dalton Schultz: 121 yards, 1 TD
Solomon Thomas: 39 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 3 sacks, 5 QB hurries
Alijah Holder: 37 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TFL, 7 PBU
Alameen Murphy: 44 tackles, .5 TFL, 1 PBU
Brandon Simmons: 8 tackles
Bobby Okereke: 6 tackles
Alfieri: 40 tackles, 7 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 5 QB hurries
Jordan Perez: 29 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PBU


* here are the depth charts I used as sources:
2009: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/stan.../depth.pdf
2010: http://www.gostanford.com/fls/30600/old_...M_ID=30600
2011: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/stan...121aaa.pdf
2014:
https://www.nmnathletics.com//pdf9/2844006.pdf

EDIT: evidently forgot some guys; thanks for pointing that out.
EDIT2: misclassified Perez; thanks terry.

[washingtonismoney]

In terms of sheer numbers -- of players played -- 2015 just edges out 2009 and is left behind 2012. (EDIT: by which I mean, is tied with 2012. Assuming I didn't miss more guys.) If the 2015 freshmen have an even vaguely comparable impact as either of those two classes, we'll be spending a lot more time in Pasadena in the future.

And there's more room for optimism. Many of the freshmen today are outliers on one dimension or another. Since 2009 no one's come close to Alijah Holder's 7 passes defended. Solomon Thomas's 10.5 tackles for loss just edge out Peter Kalambayi's performance in 2014. Bryce Love looks like the second-best true freshman running back since 2009. (EDIT: Quenton Meeks's 3 picks are the most of any freshman; his 4 PBU is tied with Tarpley for second since 2009. Alfieri's 7 TFL is tied with Chase Thomas for third since 2009.)

Also nice is the redshirt management. Shaw et al. had a tendency in previous years of burning redshirts for awfully frivolous roles. I don't see any spectacularly dumb redshirt burns here. (Even, say, Mustafa Branch played some important snaps during the ILB injury crisis against UCLA.)

[washingtonismoney]

In terms of sheer numbers -- of players played -- 2015 just edges out 2009 and is left behind 2012. (EDIT: by which I mean, is tied with 2012. Assuming I didn't miss more guys.) If the 2015 freshmen have an even vaguely comparable impact as either of those two classes, we'll be spending a lot more time in Pasadena in the future.

And there's more room for optimism. Many of the freshmen today are outliers on one dimension or another. Since 2009 no one's come close to Alijah Holder's 7 passes defended. Solomon Thomas's 10.5 tackles for loss just edge out Peter Kalambayi's performance in 2014. Bryce Love looks like the second-best true freshman running back since 2009. (EDIT: Quenton Meeks's 3 picks are the most of any freshman; his 4 PBU is tied with Tarpley for second since 2009. Alfieri's 7 TFL is tied with Chase Thomas for third since 2009.)

Also nice is the redshirt management. Shaw et al. had a tendency in previous years of burning redshirts for awfully frivolous roles. I don't see any spectacularly dumb redshirt burns here. (Even, say, Mustafa Branch played some important snaps during the ILB injury crisis against UCLA.)

[Griffins78]

WIM - thanks for putting the work in on this. Would add Meeks and Bailey this year. Perhaps others.

[Griffins78]

WIM - thanks for putting the work in on this. Would add Meeks and Bailey this year. Perhaps others.

[OutsiderFan]

The first year players who stood out, even if their roles were small:

Alijah Holder
Quenton Meeks
Justin Reid
Ben Edwards
Joey Alfieri
Solomon Thomas
Mustafa Branch
Bryce Love
Trent Irwin
Brandon Fanaika
Keller Chryst (based solely on his block in the Arizona game!)

Yes, others played but maybe didn't impress as much.

[OutsiderFan]

The first year players who stood out, even if their roles were small:

Alijah Holder
Quenton Meeks
Justin Reid
Ben Edwards
Joey Alfieri
Solomon Thomas
Mustafa Branch
Bryce Love
Trent Irwin
Brandon Fanaika
Keller Chryst (based solely on his block in the Arizona game!)

Yes, others played but maybe didn't impress as much.

[BobK]

Another great post except frivolous part.  The coaches Just may know more than us  8)

But that's a nit and great adds by outsider fan.  The future is bright. As will be our OLT

[BobK]

Another great post except frivolous part.  The coaches Just may know more than us  8)

But that's a nit and great adds by outsider fan.  The future is bright. As will be our OLT

[Rally]

I guess this is what sustained recruiting success looks like.  With h Turley and our record of developing guys, we just might become a football power after all :)

[Rally]

I guess this is what sustained recruiting success looks like.  With h Turley and our record of developing guys, we just might become a football power after all :)

[terry]

Nice post. Thanks for putting all of that together. Interesting stuff.

A few notes -- Jordan Perez is a redshirt freshman this year. And if you're counting long snappers, you would want to add Reed Miller in 2012 and C.J. Keller in 2014.

[terry]

Nice post. Thanks for putting all of that together. Interesting stuff.

A few notes -- Jordan Perez is a redshirt freshman this year. And if you're counting long snappers, you would want to add Reed Miller in 2012 and C.J. Keller in 2014.

[washingtonismoney]

One more addition: looks like Holder was second in the conference among freshmen in the passes broken up category. Iman Marshall was first.

Solomon Thomas was, likewise, second in the conference among freshmen in the TFL category. Alfieri was fourth in TFL.

[washingtonismoney]

One more addition: looks like Holder was second in the conference among freshmen in the passes broken up category. Iman Marshall was first.

Solomon Thomas was, likewise, second in the conference among freshmen in the TFL category. Alfieri was fourth in TFL.