Stanford Recruiting: Stanford Finally Gets The Big Back They Need

After a perfect 2015 recruiting class, with all 22 recruits that gained admission to Stanford committing to the Farm, it seems that the only way Stanford could go is down. However, after adding Clark Yarborough on Tuesday, top-ranked quarterback K.J. Costello, and now with three-star running back Beau Bisharat's decision on Saturday, 2016's class is shaping up nicely.

Bisharat hails from Jesuit High School in nearby Carmichael, California. He also received offers from every Pac-12 school except UCLA, spurning the likes of the Oregon Ducks to play for the Cardinal.

In his junior season, Bisharat dominated, carrying the ball 154 times and gaining an eye-opening 1,651 yards and 23 touchdowns. He ran an impressive 4.55 40-yard dash, a very impressive number for someone of Bisharat's size.

For this reason, he could step up and fill the role of the physical bruiser for a future Cardinal team. Part of the reason Stanford struggled to score in 2014 was their lack of a back that truly fit David Shaw's system, and Bisharat could be the next Toby Gerhart or Tyler Gaffney. He has stellar lateral quickness and makes great moves in the open field. If the speedy, elusive, Christian McCaffrey decides to stick around for his senior season, he and Bisharat could complement each other very well in Stanford's backfield.

He is a relentless runner that does not shy away from contact: just turn to the 1:21 mark of his highlight reel if you're not convinced. Remind you of anyone, Stanford fans?

In his tape, Bisharat appeared to be a proficient pass catcher, running everything from deep posts to outs for his high school team. With his elite speed and size, there's no reason to believe he can't be a dual-threat running back at the next level.

The decision was seemingly pretty easy for the big 6'2", 210 pound back, who received an offer from the Cardinal just nine days ago. He also plays linebacker for his high school team, part of the reason why choosing the Farm was such a no-brainer for Bisharat. With Bisharat not exactly suitable for Oregon's up-tempo system, the Ducks wanted Bisharat to play linebacker in Eugene. Primarily a running back, Bisharat wanted to stay at that position at the next level:

"That was pretty much the only reason, the biggest choice that swayed me away from there," he explained. "I've always played offense in high school. I haven't really played a whole lot of defense. I guess a lot of people switch, but I'm more comfortable playing offense and I think I'm better on offense. They were up there all the way, too, the whole way."

Helfrich's openness about Bisharat's future certainly benefited the Cardinal, giving them a potential feature back of the future. Not yet a senior, he won't suit up for Stanford until at least 2016, at the earliest but Bisharat is a name to look out for in the years to come, especially if he can continue to add bulk. A lot can change in a couple years, but you can honestly say that Bisharat projects to be a very special player in Palo Alto.