The Stanford Cardinal football team may have finished with the worst record in the conference last season but that doesn’t mean they’re not loaded with talent. In fact, Athlon Sports listed 12 Cardinal football players among their four preseason All-Pac-12 teams, tying for third most among all teams.
USC and Oregon led the way with 13 selections each and though Stanford tied with rival Cal for third place with 12 players, Cal didn’t place any members on the first-team offense, defense or special teams.
Stanford saw Drew Dalman land as the conference’s best center, on the first-team offense, and WR Connor Wedington land as the league’s top returning kick returner, landing on the first-team specialist list.
Michael Wilson and Walker Little placed on the second-team offense at wide receiver and offensive line, respectively, while CB Paulson Adebo also saw his way to the second-team defense. Adebo is fresh off his nomination to the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List as well.
Austin Jones and Thomas Booker were selected to the third team, at running back and defensive lineman, respectively, while Jet Toner was the third-team kicker. Ryan Sanborn made it as the fourth-team punter and Wilson landed on the list again, as the fourth-team punt returner.
We had to wait awhile to see him but Davis Mills was selected as the fourth-team quarterback, beating out all but Chase Garbers at Cal, Jayden Daniels at Arizona State and Kedon Slovis of USC, who were each on the lists above Mills. Foster Sarell rounded out Stanford’s selections as he was a fourth-team offensive lineman.
The full teams can be found here, and below:
First-Team Offense
QB Kedon Slovis, USC
RB CJ Verdell, Oregon
RB Jermar Jefferson, Oregon State
AP Max Borghi, Washington State
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC
WR Tyler Vaughns, USC
TE Brant Kuithe, Utah
C Drew Dalman, Stanford
OL Penei Sewell, Oregon
OL Abraham Lucas, Washington State
OL Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC
OL Jaxson Kirkland, Washington
First-Team Defense
DL Levi Onwuzurike, Washington
DL Jay Tufele, USC
DL Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon
DL Drake Jackson, USC
LB Nate Landman, Colorado
LB Hamilcar Rashed Jr., Oregon State
LB Joe Tryon, Washington
CB Thomas Graham, Oregon
CB Elijah Molden, Washington
S Jevon Holland, Oregon
S Talanoa Hufanga, USC
First-Team Specialists
K Blake Mazza, Washington State
P Michael Turk, Arizona State
KR Connor Wedington, Stanford
PR Britain Covey, Utah
Second-Team Offense
QB Jayden Daniels, Arizona State
RB Christopher Brown Jr., California
RB Richard Newton, Washington
AP Britain Covey, Utah
WR Frank Darby, Arizona State
WR Michael Wilson, Stanford
TE Cade Otton, Washington
C Orlando Umana, Utah
OL Walker Little, Stanford
OL William Sherman, Colorado
OL Dohnovan West, Arizona State
OL Nick Ford, Utah
Second-Team Defense
DL Mustafa Johnson, Colorado
DL Jermayne Lole, Arizona State
DL Mika Tafua, Utah
DL Jordon Scott, Oregon
LB Kuony Deng, California
LB Jahad Woods, Washington State
LB Ryan Bowman, Washington
CB Paulson Adebo, Stanford
CB Cam Bynum, California
S Brady Breeze, Oregon
S Elijah Hicks, California
Second-Team Specialists
K Peyton Henry, Washington
P Ben Griffiths, USC
KR Mykael Wright, Oregon
PR Jevon Holland, Oregon
Comments
Somewhat Strange List....
I like Austin Jones, but has he really shown much yet to get picked as a top 6 running back in the Pac 12? Of the 12 Stanford picks, only 2 are on defense and a whopping 4 are on special teams. Not sure what this means but we are probably not tied for third best team in the PAC 12, just a player behind USC and Oregon (at least from a talent standpoint)!
But that’s why they play the games……………………
By hoyaparanoia on 06.09.20 7:46pm
Interesting...
Man… Im so ready to get this season underway! I predict this coming season will be reminiscent of last season’s game against Washington! If u recall we entered as a 24 point underdog…No one gave us a chance!!
With D Mills, a recharged offensive line, a plethora of RBs/WRs combined w/a little help from the defense… next season will be EPIC!!!
By Slot_Man22 on 06.10.20 2:24am
It starts up front on both lines
Your unwavering enthusiasm for davis mills for the past 2 years and watching it play out last year was about the only fun part of stanford football 2019.
Hopefully this year he has taken the next step forward, taking command of that huddle and switching us to the right plays and making accurate throws. We have undeniable talent across the board (except maybe TE?) to be a top-half pac-12 team on offense. If only we establish that run game, then davis will kill them with play action like the UW game.
By layman on 06.10.20 12:10pm
My predictions/preseason stanford candidates for all-pac12
1. Paulson Adebo – I mean surely he has cleaned up the double moves and fakes he was biting hard at.
2. Michael Wilson – Him and Fehoko are punch, counter-punch and I just like the overall game of Wilson and rate him very highly
3. Walker Little – This is a projection of watching him play a fair bit and I kind of feel he comes back with a monster season
4. Davis Mills – If he has anywhere near to the progression costello showed in year 2 as starter, he should even challenge kedon slovis for QB1
5. Austin Jones – Should be ready to be the bell cow, might see action in the receiving game too with the spread sets
6. Jet Toner – Sign of how cursed stanford football 2019 was when you lose your starting kicker. Might make the difference in the road games, big leg.
7. Thomas Booker – Absolutely ready to take over the rush end duties, should have a monster season if DWade-Perry plugs the double teams. Just rewatched ASU 2018 watching him have monster getoffs against slower tackles.
8. Ricky Miezan – This is my left field pick. I think he is the breakout candidate for the team. The defense badly needs enforcers in the middle and he should rack up enough tackles and breakups to find himself on the list
PS: I am worried about the Safety position a lot. The safety play in general has greatly diminished since justin reid left and I don’t see the pipeline as any stronger
By layman on 06.10.20 12:21pm
Jet Toner Can Make A Real Difference
Particularly if David Shaw is more aggressive in using him. Stop the punts from the opponents 38 yard line, or work on third down and long to get to the 32 yard line rather than trying to go for the first down. Use your timeouts at the end of the first half to work to get into field goal range rather than just heading into the locker room. Easily could be a difference maker in a game or two. Big leg and accurate.
And yeah, I smile every time I see SlotMan post! VINDICATED!!!
By hoyaparanoia on 06.10.20 3:53pm