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College football coaches like to joke that football is what gets in the way of recruiting. Six months before National Signing Day, the football hasn't yet gotten in the way for the Cardinal.
Stanford has already picked up nine commitments for next February, including one on Monday, which makes this as good a time as ever for a recruiting update.
Linebackers:
Casey Toohill, a three-star from San Diego, is the latest Stanford commitment. Toohill chose the Farm on Monday over Washington, Boston College and several Ivy League schools. Toohill is a lean 3-4 outside linebacker who looks and plays a little like Chase Thomas.
In addition to Toohill, the Cardinal also have a commitment from Christian Folau, a three-star from Salt Lake City who picked Stanford over Utah, Vandy and Wisconsin. He's a middle linebacker with good strength, and he's unafraid to meet oncoming blockers.
This coaching staff, especially Lance Anderson, knows linebackers, so expect these guys to add more depth to an already solid group next season.
Wide receiver:
JJ Arcega-Whiteside, another recent commit, is the Cardinal's only receiver committed at this point, but he looks like a good one. The three-star from South Carolina has smooth hands and an easy stride, plus he's 6-foot-3, 208 pounds. He looks like a guy who can fit in quite well with the other big receivers in Stanford's offense.
Additionally, the staff getting a guy from South Carolina is compelling to me - there isn't a player from the state on the roster right now, and it's good to see the staff establish a little bit of a presence in another Southern state. Some of Stanford's best talent has come from Texas and Georgia, and there's been a lot of quality players from SC these last few years.
Offensive line:
Stanford has picked up two more offensive linemen already, including center Brian Chaffin from North Carolina. Chaffin picked Stanford over a host of ACC schools, Northwestern and Mississippi State, and is a true center - meaning that he'll be ready to step in and play that position as opposed to being converted from guard.
Another Southerner, Georgia's Nick Wilson, joins Chaffin on the Card Class 15 o-line right now. Wilson is rated by Rivals as the 8th-best guard in the nation, earning him a four-star rating. He's a punishing run blocker, a nasty finisher on the ground and is comfortable in space in the run game. He's got some work to do on his pass blocking, but he looks like another gem for the Tunnel Worker's Union.
Fullback:
The Cardinal will lose the services of Lee Ward after this season, and it seems David Shaw and company have lined up a replacement already. Four-star Reagan Williams, a linebacker and fullback from Ohio, will stick to the offensive side of the ball to begin his career at Stanford. In my estimation, Williams is clearly the best player on his entire high school team, and he kicked some serious ass on both sides of the ball. He'll fit in just fine.
Defensive back:
Georgia native Arrington Farrar was one of the first to commit to Stanford in this recruiting class, with the four-star safety picking the Farm over Clemson, Ole Miss, Vandy, Wisconsin and a gaggle of ACC schools. Farrar's an aggressive downhill run-stopper who plays with some attitude - his game film looks a little like Ed Reynolds.
Defensive tackle:
Rex Manu, a three-star from Hawaii, is set to join Stanford over offers from Colorado and Vanderbilt.
Kicker:
Given that Jordan Williamson will be leaving the Farm after this season, Stanford has already lined up a potential replacement in Jake Bailey, a Solana Beach native.
So what's next for Card Class 15 as the football season moves along into the recruiting cycle again? There may be more pieces to come on defense relatively soon.
Kenneth Brinson, a linebacker from Georgia, has Stanford in his top two, five-star D-lineman Rasheem Green has a Stanford offer, four-star DT Christian Wilkins has the Cardinal on the table, and defensive back Ben Edwards decommitted from Auburn recently, reopening Stanford's pursuit of the Jacksonville native.