The Stanford Cardinal are making quick work of their evaluations and scholarship offerings to the Class of 2022. And just months after receiving a commitment from Ari Patu for the class of 2021, the Cardinal have made recruiting headlines for the rising junior class already.
According to 247Sports, head coach David Shaw and Co. have offered quarterbacks Braden Davis and AJ Duffy. The Cardinal have haven’t signed two quarterbacks in the same class since 2018 when they brought in Tanner McKee and Jack West, and the obvious there being that McKee was going to take his mission trip.
“You’re definitely catching us at a time where I think the whole recruiting thing is a lot different with the current climate with the COVID situation and whatnot,” QB coach Tavita Pritchard told 247Sports. “So I think the short of it is we are having to adjust our thinking to a certain degree on how we think about quarterback recruiting and recruiting by and large. Not being able to get out and see guys physically this past spring is a part of that challenge. Not having a summer camp is part of the challenge. So I think there will be some adjustments that we’ll have to make just in terms of how we’ve normally thought of recruiting quarterbacks. Whether or not that’s the last cycle playing role, I don’t know that I can separate that out other than to say, I think with all things being added up I think we’re at a point now where we are planning on taking a ‘22 quarterback and we’re in that evaluation process and really shortening that list.”
So — who are they — and what do they bring to the table?
Braden Davis is a four-star, dual-threat quarterback from Lake Minneola High School in Lake Minneola, Florida. He reportedly has offers from just about every school you could throw out there including the Florida Gators, LSU Tigers. Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs and Clemson Tigers.
He’s the fifth-ranked dual-threat quarterback for the class of 2022 and ranks as the state of Florida’s 10th-best player for his class. He cracked the top 100 list as the 100th-best overall prospect for the class of 2022.
At 6’5, 195 pounds, Davis projects as a Day 3 pick and is the son of former NFL offensive lineman and No. 8 overall pick of the 1991 NFL Draft Antone Davis.
Excellent frame with length. Athletic with escapability. Does not panic under pressure. Good pocket awareness. Good arm strength that will improve with maturity. Shows very good touch on intermediate and deep balls. Throws catchable ball. Gets through progressions. Extends plays. Strong work ethic. Good foot speed and feet work in unison with arm. Has to tighten lengthy delivery. Drops elbow at times. Must continue to get stronger and add weight. Added strength will increase arm strength. Multi-year starter at Top 15 program. Day 3 NFL draft potential.
As far as Duffy, he’s the nation’s fifth-ranked pro-style quarterback for the class of 2022, and hails from a much closer high school. He’s from Moreno Valley, California and plays at Rancho Verde High School. Though predicted to be high on Oregon at this time, his Stanford offer is the most recent of his 32 reported scholarship offers.
At 6’1, 197, he possesses an incredibly strong arm and should be in action this January with the CIF resumes fall football this winter.
Duffy has said that his visits will be very important to help decide where he’ll be playing in college. Fortunately, the Cardinal have a ton of time to get him on campus once those restrictions are lifted.
Either way — it’s big news when a historically sound quarterback university offers two quarterbacks within the span of 30 minutes.
And after watching some of their highlights, it’s clear to see why they did.
Comments
I hope this is not the complete story
One of the admirable things about the Stanford football program in the past was its insistence that players they recruited qualify for admission. That usually meant qualified early offers that only became final some time in a recruit’s senior year, after that player had successfully completed AP classes and some otherwise rigorous academic classes. It also meant that the vast majority of five star recruits were never on Stanford’s radar.
This latest story doesn’t say whether the Stanford offers to these two rising juniors are qualified in the same way. If they are both signed up for calculus, AP anything, or Honors anything in their junior years, then glad to hear it. Or if they’ve taken the SAT or ACT and scored in the 90% range. But If there is some understood (and unstated) admission decision already reached in their cases, then Stanford fans who pride themselves on their school being different, need to know that. I, for one, certainly hope not.
By SU74 on 08.30.20 8:31am
The Cardinal Has Typically Been Pretty Good At Recruiting QBs
Though highly selective, with very limited offers. I think the academically qualified talent pool at QB may be a bit deeper than some other positions, given the nature of what is asked of a QB.
Can’t really make sense out of Tavita’s comments above other than that it is hard to actually see players in person and hard for recruits to visit campus. Yes….that is true.
I have a hard time believing that Stanford is changing how it handles admissions in football recruiting. My sense is that these guys are going to have to qualify academically. If not, they have a ton of other choices.
By hoyaparanoia on 08.30.20 9:33am
Recruiting? Yes. Developing? Hard No.
Poor development of prized QB recruits defines Stanford’s five-year decline.
Keller Chryst’s disappointment succeeded the Ryan Burns devolution. KJ Costello’s legacy is regrettable. No Cardinal quarterback in recent memory regressed so quickly after generating early success.
Davis Mills has likely played his last fall at Stanford Stadium. At best, he earns an "incomplete" grade.
When your best quarterbacks get worse over time, it’s time to point the finger.
By OrangeMark on 08.30.20 12:07pm
All True
And when your QB coach who was actually a pretty mediocre QB has trouble developing QBs (oh….how surprising) gets promoted to offensive coordinator, arguably the problem gets bigger.
Jack West’s introduction to the field was……….laughable. Yet USC (and others) throw true Freshmen on to the field to great success.
I think Shaw waits to long to put quality QBs on the field, often chooses the wrong one, then is forced to make changes that can be awkward for development. The shift from Nunes to Hogan was way overdue, but Hogan did appear to develop over time. Perhaps more as a leader than as a pure QB.
I would also note as far as recruiting, neither Patu, Davis or Duffy appear to be at the level of Chryst, Costello or Mills coming in. Early days though.
By hoyaparanoia on 08.30.20 12:24pm
How much of this is Shaw?
I agree with both of you that Pritchard was a poor choice at QB coach and at offensive coordinator. He seems like a nice guy who is probably valuable in recruiting. But Shaw is the real offensive coordinator and probably always will be. So he no doubt wanted someone who would be comfortable in the backseat. But your QB coach should be good at two things: skill development and teaching how to recognize and attack defenses. If you recruit players who have physical potential but aren’t there yet (e.g. Patu), you need a coach who can improve his skills. Pritchard ain’t it. As for teaching how to run an offense, West’s performance against UCLA (even accounting for the Swiss cheese offensive line play) showed Pritchard was woefully deficient in that area as well. (I’d be very curious to know whether Hogan, who really could run the Stanford offense, learned much of anything from Pritchard.)
The key test, whenever the Cardinal get back on the field, will be Tanner McKee. He has the arm strength, size, and mobility. He’s more mature than a true freshman, but just as inexperienced as one. If he backs up Mills, he can learn a whole lot about the offense as he discards any rustiness he acquired on his mission. He’ll also be blessed with an experienced group of receivers and offensive linemen whenever he takes the field. If he performs as poorly as West did, then no question Pritchard has to go. Loyalty only goes so far David Shaw.
By SU74 on 08.31.20 11:41am
Assuming That There Is No Pac 12 Football This Year And....
…….Davis Mills turns pro, Shaw will be forced to start a true (though mature) Freshman in Tanner McKee next year. Unless, of course, he defers to Jack West’s "seniority" and "experience" – which would be entirely in keeping with his past actions. I shudder to even imagine that. I have been saying all along that Shaw needs to have a plan to get McKee on the field early – either to fill in for an injured Davis Mills this year or to start next year. Even if that means simplifying some things for him.
I think Hogan developed himself mostly, and was around long enough to learn on the job. He was also pretty instinctual, reacting favorably and successfully to what got thrown at him.
By hoyaparanoia on 08.31.20 1:22pm