National Signing Day is coming up on Wednesday, and Stanford will see whether all of the recruits who have committed to play on the Farm will actually sign their letters of intent and wear the cardinal and white next fall. Stanford’s Class of 2011 recruiting group is currently ranked #23 in the nation by Rivals and #22 in America by Scout. But how accurate are recruiting rankings anyway?
We’ve picked some notable Stanford football players and dug up the recruit grades they received when they were seniors in high school. Have a look at how they all did before arriving at Stanford.
- FB/MLB Owen Marecic
- Now: Paul Hornung Award recipient; only two-way starter in the FBS; NFL draft prospect
- Then (2007): 2-star recruit; received only other scholarship offer from Portland State; considered a mid-major prospect with “limited pro potential”
Gerhart's Doak Walker Award in the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame. (Image via Wikipedia)
- QB Andrew Luck
- Now: 2010 Heisman runner-up; considered the best pro prospect in the nation; 2011 Heisman favorite
- Then (2008): 4-star recruit; narrowed college options to Stanford, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Rice, and Virginia; fourth-best quarterback in the Class of 2008 and the #68 overall prospect in the country; considered a potential All-American candidate
- HB Toby Gerhart
- Now: Professional player for the Minnesota Vikings; 2009 Heisman runner-up; 2009 Doak Walker Award winner for best college running back
- Then (2006): 3-star fullback recruit; seventh-best fullback in the Class of 2006 and the #44 overall prospect in California; narrowed final three college options to Stanford, Arizona, and Duke; considered a top-tier West Coast recruit but not a top-tier player on the national level
- LB Thomas Keiser
- Now: Left Stanford early to enter the 2011 NFL Draft; served a key role in the Cardinal’s 2010 improved defensive performance; projected fourth round NFL selection
- Then (2007): two-star defensive end recruit; unranked by position, state, and nation; received lone scholarship offer from Stanford
- LB Shayne Skov
- Now: The best linebacker on the Stanford roster and one of the best linebackers in the PAC-10; recorded 12 tackles and 3 sacks in the 2011 Orange Bowl
- Then (2009): 4-star linebacker recruit; best recruit in New York, #3 linebacker in the country, and #45 overall recruit; only considered attending top-notch academic schools (i.e. Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Boston College, and Vanderbilt)
- HB Anthony Wilkerson
- Now: presumptive heir apparent to the starting running back job; productive #2 back behind Stepfan Taylor in 2010 as a true freshman
- Then (2010): 4-star running back recruit; #21 running back in the country and #42 recruit in California; was recruited but did not receive offers from Oklahoma, Oregon, California, and Arizona State
*The recruiting rankings used in each player’s profile come from Rivals.com
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