All of the following is opinion of course.Â
But none of these opinions are mine alone.
This class projects to be far superior to any other Pac-12 class:
DL: A-
DE Solomon Thomas
Hes the most athletic defensive linemen and, with Julian Jenkins, the highest-rated and most-offered defensive lineman whom Stanford has ever recruited.
Old friend of James Vaiughters from high school hoops Explosive hands, better against the run that as a pass rusher. Think Josh Mauro but with a much higher profile. He projects more of an offensive linemans mentality--more David DeCastro than Ben Gardner--a small concern.
DT Nifae Lealao
Worries me. Im 30-70 that he never starts and 20-80 that he never plays; its clear he loves Stanford but may not love football. ( I could be upside-down here,) But we and USC offered so he projects as a guy who could at least be a solid backup. Id feel better if he had Harrison Phillips mentality.
DE Harrison Phillips
Love having him because he will set an example and work like hell. A tough, smart, unusually mature, national class heavyweight wrestler--a a nice background for defensive linemen who work inside. Stars in spectacular highlight film in which he blocks a kick after cartwheeling over a blocker. A great addition. Upside is as a shorter Josh Mauto who blooms two years earlier.
DE Uriah Leaitaua.Â
Damned if I know.Â
Pops up too quickly and his tackling technique needs work. Moves o.k. laterally in small space but not athletic overall. SC, Wisconsin, and UCLA also offered, so perhaps he can play, and Yale has offered, so he can think and speak. Attended the same high school as the Pac 12s best recruiter, Richard Sherman. Â
[b]LB:Â A [/b]
Joey Alfieri
From the Jesuit in Portland program that gave us Owen Marecic. Rated out as one of the top 10 players at the Nike Opening, which hosted 90% of the countrys best players. His verified 40 equals Devon Carringtons and hes agile and powerful.. A top 10 player with NFL genes; his dad played for the Jets and his mom--think shades of Christian McCaffrey--was a champion sprinter. Coach: He has great speed. He's very tough. But the best would be his instinct and his ability to find the football. Hes very intelligent and a tremendously hard worker.
Bobby Okereke
Another we will see but dear God, what an athlete.
Hasnt played long but had a great year. Terrific hitter who played six different positions in high school. His 6-1 frame is a concern---a bit short for the ideal linebacker, too short for DE--but he appears to have a 6-4 wingspan which may mitigate the height concern. Plays at around 6-3. Worst case is as a special teams phenom.
His athleticism means he can be very effective dropping back in coverage and he reacts well and wisely; nice feel for the game, Hard to resist the comparison to Myles Jack but hes smaller and longer.Â
Jordan Perez
The toughest guy in the bunch, hes a hitting freak with ungodly power.. But hes only 6-1, too. This looks like a case of forget that, the guy can play, Terrific burst, naturally athletic--even shows nicely catching at tight end--could bring a big pass rush off the edge and take out two quarterbacks every season. His good offer list includes Michigan, UCLA, Northwestern, Arizona, ASU, Vanderbilt, Boise State, Miami, BYU, and Utah.
Lane Veach
Murphy II as his best case, but hes much longer. His freakish 7-o wingspan will help him fend off blockers and block passes, field goals, and PATs. Will play immediately in the middle of those special teams.
Dad played for the Devils who offered him, as did home state Arizona. Love his upside if only as a situational player.
Defensive backs: A-
Terrence Alexander.Â
My favorite scout loves this guy; me, too. Probably has the best pure cornerback skills--the ability to flip ones hips and press or play off--of any Stanford cornerback ever, Ohio State, A&M, LSU, Northwestern, Arkansas, Kansas State among his reported offers and his invitation to Nikes exclusive The Opening further suggests his talent. 5-10, 170 maybe; if he were 6--0, 185 hes be a top five prospect. Excellent against run and pass, tough, looks like a nickel corner prospect with reported 10.9 speed.
Also gives us another foothold in Louisiana and with one of the nations most celebrated high school programs, John Curtis Christian. Stanford has an unusual number of athletes from his Louisiana town of River Ridge, including two pole vaulters.
Alameen MurphyÂ
Another of my favorites. Lists at 5-10, 175 but plays 6-3; he is very long. Running track to improve his reported 4.6 speed. Terrific angles and he tackles well and sometimes spectacularly; a sledge hammer. Modest offers--Harvard, Arizona, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Syracuse. Celebrated for calling us The Miami Heat of college football.
Brandon Simmons
May be ready to go at safety after years playing in his dads famous national 7-on-7 tournaments and playing a year of high level Texas football. Also very physical and smart, two apparent requirements of Masons, and another DB who is better against the run than the pass. Not sure that he has a high ceiling despite being our third highest-rated safety ever (after Lyons and Carter), but his realistic case is as two-year starter and first team nickel back.
Alijah HolderÂ
Good speed, tackles well and hard, comes up with mayhem in mind--sometimes to a fault.  He needs lot of bulk--at least 20 pounds on his 6-1, 165 frame (although a guess is that he already had added ten--before he can play but its intriguing to think what he might do with the added size and strength. A natural cover guy. Not the most athletic DB but very, very smart and instinctive; think a DB version of Tarpley. Should be good to phenomenal on special teams.
Denzel Franklin
Another mystery to me.
Kirk Tucker
Have to say, another big favorite. Really neat kid, sweet, well-spoken, head over heels over Stanford. Hits big. Ohio State, Wisconsin, Louisville, U Conn, Syracuse, Ohio, NC State, and Arkansas offered him. From James Vaughters high school, Tucker in Tucker, Georgia.
Kicker: A
Hayden Lekacz (walk-on as a freshmen, almost certain to get a scholarship in year two). Yet one more favorite in the class. I glimpsed him three years ago while catching Glenbard West (Johnny Caspers team) beat Wheaton Warrenville South. He could have a Phillips effect on his classmates, too, because no 2014 recruit works harder at perfecting his craft. Perhaps the best kickoff man in the country, has hit a wind-aided kickoff five yards past the end zone. This guy, teamed with Okereke, Alameen Murphy, Kirck Tucker, Alfieri, Perez, and Holder, means that Stanford is odds-on to have the nations best kickoff team in 2015. (Having Pete Alamar as the coach helps ensure that,) Expect a 55-yard-plus FG before he graduates.
Overall
Excellent class with talent at DT, DE, ILB, OLB, CB, and S. Balanced.
And 2015 looks damn good, too, with what could be the nations best defensive back class. :)
But none of these opinions are mine alone.
This class projects to be far superior to any other Pac-12 class:
DL: A-
DE Solomon Thomas
Hes the most athletic defensive linemen and, with Julian Jenkins, the highest-rated and most-offered defensive lineman whom Stanford has ever recruited.
Old friend of James Vaiughters from high school hoops Explosive hands, better against the run that as a pass rusher. Think Josh Mauro but with a much higher profile. He projects more of an offensive linemans mentality--more David DeCastro than Ben Gardner--a small concern.
DT Nifae Lealao
Worries me. Im 30-70 that he never starts and 20-80 that he never plays; its clear he loves Stanford but may not love football. ( I could be upside-down here,) But we and USC offered so he projects as a guy who could at least be a solid backup. Id feel better if he had Harrison Phillips mentality.
DE Harrison Phillips
Love having him because he will set an example and work like hell. A tough, smart, unusually mature, national class heavyweight wrestler--a a nice background for defensive linemen who work inside. Stars in spectacular highlight film in which he blocks a kick after cartwheeling over a blocker. A great addition. Upside is as a shorter Josh Mauto who blooms two years earlier.
DE Uriah Leaitaua.Â
Damned if I know.Â
Pops up too quickly and his tackling technique needs work. Moves o.k. laterally in small space but not athletic overall. SC, Wisconsin, and UCLA also offered, so perhaps he can play, and Yale has offered, so he can think and speak. Attended the same high school as the Pac 12s best recruiter, Richard Sherman. Â
[b]LB:Â A [/b]
Joey Alfieri
From the Jesuit in Portland program that gave us Owen Marecic. Rated out as one of the top 10 players at the Nike Opening, which hosted 90% of the countrys best players. His verified 40 equals Devon Carringtons and hes agile and powerful.. A top 10 player with NFL genes; his dad played for the Jets and his mom--think shades of Christian McCaffrey--was a champion sprinter. Coach: He has great speed. He's very tough. But the best would be his instinct and his ability to find the football. Hes very intelligent and a tremendously hard worker.
Bobby Okereke
Another we will see but dear God, what an athlete.
Hasnt played long but had a great year. Terrific hitter who played six different positions in high school. His 6-1 frame is a concern---a bit short for the ideal linebacker, too short for DE--but he appears to have a 6-4 wingspan which may mitigate the height concern. Plays at around 6-3. Worst case is as a special teams phenom.
His athleticism means he can be very effective dropping back in coverage and he reacts well and wisely; nice feel for the game, Hard to resist the comparison to Myles Jack but hes smaller and longer.Â
Jordan Perez
The toughest guy in the bunch, hes a hitting freak with ungodly power.. But hes only 6-1, too. This looks like a case of forget that, the guy can play, Terrific burst, naturally athletic--even shows nicely catching at tight end--could bring a big pass rush off the edge and take out two quarterbacks every season. His good offer list includes Michigan, UCLA, Northwestern, Arizona, ASU, Vanderbilt, Boise State, Miami, BYU, and Utah.
Lane Veach
Murphy II as his best case, but hes much longer. His freakish 7-o wingspan will help him fend off blockers and block passes, field goals, and PATs. Will play immediately in the middle of those special teams.
Dad played for the Devils who offered him, as did home state Arizona. Love his upside if only as a situational player.
Defensive backs: A-
Terrence Alexander.Â
My favorite scout loves this guy; me, too. Probably has the best pure cornerback skills--the ability to flip ones hips and press or play off--of any Stanford cornerback ever, Ohio State, A&M, LSU, Northwestern, Arkansas, Kansas State among his reported offers and his invitation to Nikes exclusive The Opening further suggests his talent. 5-10, 170 maybe; if he were 6--0, 185 hes be a top five prospect. Excellent against run and pass, tough, looks like a nickel corner prospect with reported 10.9 speed.
Also gives us another foothold in Louisiana and with one of the nations most celebrated high school programs, John Curtis Christian. Stanford has an unusual number of athletes from his Louisiana town of River Ridge, including two pole vaulters.
Alameen MurphyÂ
Another of my favorites. Lists at 5-10, 175 but plays 6-3; he is very long. Running track to improve his reported 4.6 speed. Terrific angles and he tackles well and sometimes spectacularly; a sledge hammer. Modest offers--Harvard, Arizona, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Syracuse. Celebrated for calling us The Miami Heat of college football.
Brandon Simmons
May be ready to go at safety after years playing in his dads famous national 7-on-7 tournaments and playing a year of high level Texas football. Also very physical and smart, two apparent requirements of Masons, and another DB who is better against the run than the pass. Not sure that he has a high ceiling despite being our third highest-rated safety ever (after Lyons and Carter), but his realistic case is as two-year starter and first team nickel back.
Alijah HolderÂ
Good speed, tackles well and hard, comes up with mayhem in mind--sometimes to a fault.  He needs lot of bulk--at least 20 pounds on his 6-1, 165 frame (although a guess is that he already had added ten--before he can play but its intriguing to think what he might do with the added size and strength. A natural cover guy. Not the most athletic DB but very, very smart and instinctive; think a DB version of Tarpley. Should be good to phenomenal on special teams.
Denzel Franklin
Another mystery to me.
Kirk Tucker
Have to say, another big favorite. Really neat kid, sweet, well-spoken, head over heels over Stanford. Hits big. Ohio State, Wisconsin, Louisville, U Conn, Syracuse, Ohio, NC State, and Arkansas offered him. From James Vaughters high school, Tucker in Tucker, Georgia.
Kicker: A
Hayden Lekacz (walk-on as a freshmen, almost certain to get a scholarship in year two). Yet one more favorite in the class. I glimpsed him three years ago while catching Glenbard West (Johnny Caspers team) beat Wheaton Warrenville South. He could have a Phillips effect on his classmates, too, because no 2014 recruit works harder at perfecting his craft. Perhaps the best kickoff man in the country, has hit a wind-aided kickoff five yards past the end zone. This guy, teamed with Okereke, Alameen Murphy, Kirck Tucker, Alfieri, Perez, and Holder, means that Stanford is odds-on to have the nations best kickoff team in 2015. (Having Pete Alamar as the coach helps ensure that,) Expect a 55-yard-plus FG before he graduates.
Overall
Excellent class with talent at DT, DE, ILB, OLB, CB, and S. Balanced.
And 2015 looks damn good, too, with what could be the nations best defensive back class. :)
