Gap Down Backer.

redsox907 · Post by **redsox907** » 17 Sep 2025, 18:33

Skylar Williams ready to run it back

Post by **Soapy** » 17 Sep 2025, 18:42

Texas Tech's Cole Welliver emerging as Stanford's top quarterback target in the transfer portal
Chris Wallace -- 247Sports Stanford Football Insider

As soon as the transfer portal opened, everyone expected former Kennesaw State head coach Bubba Mack to be targeting his former starting quarterback with the Owls in Skyler Williams. Instead, it's another familiar face that Mack and Stanford appear to have zeroed in on to replace starting quarterback Tavien St. Clair.

Texas Tech's Cole Welliver, who was at UConn for his true freshman season when Mack was the offensive line coach, has begun to emerge as the top choice for the Cardinal. Welliver transferred to New Mexico for the 2025 season before emerging as a star for the Red Raiders, throwing for 4,260 yards and twenty five touchdowns.

Another familiar name for Mack is running back JaMarice Wilder who was a 1,000-yard rusher with Mack and then rushed for twelve touchdowns last year in a reduced role behind another former Mack signee in running back Greg Burrell who is a projected third round pick.

2029 Stanford Cardinal Transfer Recruiting Class

2029 Stanford Cardinal Transfer Recruiting Board
Jaylen Labinjo [G #1]: 6'5", 301lbs | West Monroe, LA

| 4-star (Soph)

Miles Kyle [CB #2]: 6'0", 175lbs | Solon, IA

| 4-star (Jr)

Neil Pryor [LT #1]: 6'8", 330lbs | Herriman, UT

| 4-Star (Jr)

Cory Koroma [G #2]: 6'3", 332lbs | Euless, TX

| 4-star (Jr)

Dajon Hinton [CB #19]: 5'10", 197lbs | San Diego, CA

| 4-star (Sr)

Cole Welliver [QB #8]: 6'7", 226lbs | Flower Mound, TX

| 4-star (Sr)

Imani Ibbara [EDGE #8]: 6'6", 253lbs | Anaheim, CA

| 4-star (Jr)

Jamarice Wilder [HB #11]: 5'9", 188lbs | Venice, FL

| 4-star (Sr)

Sidney Dwyer [FS #3]: 6'1", 205lbs | Crosby, TX

| 4-star (Jr)

Dashaun Spears [WR #15]: 5'8", 200lbs | Birmingham, AL

| 4-star (Sr)

Jalen Ramsay [WR #18]: 6'2", 212lbs | San Mateo, CA

| 4-star (Sr)

Dom Silver [QB #48]: 6'1", 210lbs | Akron, OH

| 3-star (Soph)

Jabari Deablo [ILB #41]: 6'3", 222lbs | Columbia, SC

| 3-star (Soph)

James Gattis [ILB #10]: 6'3", 234lbs | Tucker, GA | 4-star

Mike Cologne [CB #78]: 5'9", 193lbs | Mission Viejo, CA | 3-star

Angel Bass [CB #94]: 6'1", 176lbs | Newport Beach, CA | 3-star

----------
Clint Khaled [T #11]: 6'8", 313lbs | Oakland, CA | 4-star

Carlos Whalen [WR #17]: 6'3", 209lbs | Hueytown, AL | 4-star

JaMarcus Eakin [C #3]: 6'3", 278lbs | Hueytown, AL | 4-star

Layne Cook [T #6]: 6'4", 300lbs | Newbury Park, CA | 4-star

James Sweet [WR #22]: 6'5", 192lbs | Henderson, NV | 4-star

Mitch Tuggle [WR #58]: 6'2", 161lbs | Kahuku, HI | 4-star

Post by **Soapy** » 17 Sep 2025, 18:43

redsox907 wrote: ↑
17 Sep 2025, 18:33
Skylar Williams ready to run it back

the game hating on me smh he already has a top 8 and we were outside of it

shit was finna be a movie!

redsox907 · Post by **redsox907** » 17 Sep 2025, 19:05

Soapy wrote: ↑
17 Sep 2025, 18:43

redsox907 wrote: ↑
17 Sep 2025, 18:33
Skylar Williams ready to run it back
the game hating on me smh he already has a top 8 and we were outside of it

shit was finna be a movie!

I hate that shit. MFer has champ contender as his deal breaker, but the year after I win the Natty homie already has me locked out before I even get to put my foot in the door? :wtf:

Post by **Soapy** » 17 Sep 2025, 19:07

As Michigan lands Crystal Ball for Josh Ghee, what went wrong with Stanford's succession plan?
Chris Wallace -- 247Sports Stanford Football Insider

It appears that the defending national champions Michigan Wolverines are set to land a commitment from former Stanford backup quarterback Josh Ghee to be the heir apparent of Heisman winner C.J. Carr, who ironically enough edged out Stanford's Tavien St. Clair in the Heisman voting.

If Ghee is good enough for the national champions, why wasn't he good enough for the Stanford Cardinal? The answer is a complicated one.

The short answer is that he was good enough and that internally, Stanford's coaching staff had maintained throughout the season that Ghee was not only QB2, even after bringing in Memphis' Steele Pizella as a transfer last year, but that he was the future starter at the position. The long answer is that doubts began creeping in not on the coaching staff's side, reportedly, but on Ghee and in his camp when Skyler Williams entered the transfer portal.

Williams, who was the starter at Kennesaw State for current Stanford head coach Bubba Mack, lost his starting job to another quarterback in Ethan Houck that Mack had brought in via the portal. Even the manner in which Williams was named the starter under Mack's tenure came in as a shock as he was widely viewed as QB3 entering the camp before the surprise announcement. Mack's already made a bold decision at the position, would going after Williams be his next one?

By the time that the coaching staff had gotten a chance to speak to Ghee to assure him that they weren't interested in pursuing Williams, he had another made up his mind on entering the portal with likely overtures (also known as tampering) from other schools assuring that there'd be interest in him.

The conundrum that the coaching staff then faced was that going after Williams now would prove Ghee right. Whether or not there was ever legitimate interest between both sides is still unknown. Williams has visited UNLV, Purdue and Vanderbilt and doesn't appear to be a target of Stanford's. Their top target, Cole Welliver, seemed like an obvious fit as an experienced quarterback looking to make the jump from the Big XII to the ACC. A Texas native, once Oklahoma and Texas got involved, it quickly has shifted away from the Cardinal.

These days, the options seem to be a potential redshirt freshman in Alex Rowe, the only quarterback on the roster, or a bevy of unproven arms in the portal. The flavor of the day has been Kansas' Zach Hoppes, who threw for a grand whopping of eight yards as a backup last season. Early on, the team targeted Ohio State's Dom Silver, another unproven freshman, but to be a backup. Now he would likely be a potential starter for them. UAB's Jose Montague, who initially signed with Mack at Kennesaw State out of high school, is another name that has been thrown around.

Either way, baring a miracle, it seems that the succession plan for the most prolific quarterback at Stanford since Andrew Luck has spectacularly failed. Sounds familiar, Stanford fans?

redsox907 · Post by **redsox907** » 17 Sep 2025, 19:09

not looking good for S2

Post by **Soapy** » 17 Sep 2025, 19:49

Wisconsin left tackle Neil Pryor headlines Stanford's top-26 transfer portal class
Chris Wallace -- 247Sports Stanford Football Insider

Stanford head coach Bubba Mack was all smiles on National Signing Day and while Stanford fans might have wanted a sexier transfer portal class, the former offensive lineman was clearly exited about the fact that three of the Cardinal's top transfer portal signings were along the offensive line and at running back.

The Cardinal signed the top left tackle in the class in Neil Pryor, who started all twelve games as a true freshman for Wisconsin last season, besting some top programs to be able to land Pryor who said that Mack's background as an offensive lineman was a key factor in his decision making.

"I know [offensive line] is going to be a priority at Stanford," Pryor said, picking the Cardinal over Tennessee and Oklahoma, "The school has a great tradition of offensive line and offensive tackle in particular so I'm really excited about playing for Coach Mack."

It wasn't all roses for the Cardinal this transfer portal window with some public swing and misses on players such as cornerback Miles Kyle, who played for Mack at Kennesaw State, but signed with Iowa, picking his hometown school over his former coach. They went after the top player in the portal in Jaylen Labinjo which would have been an awesome pairing with Pryor on the left side of the offensive line but Florida won that recruitment. The Gators also beat out Mack for another former player of his in running back Jamarice Wilder. Houston receiver Dashaun Spears chose the SEC and Georgia over Stanford after being linked to the Cardinal for much of the early portal window.

No position was more publicized however than quarterback where Oklahoma landed Cole Welliver, the Texas Tech senior quarterback that Stanford went all in on. They eventually pivoted to Kansas' Zach Hoppes, who was a backup last season, after striking out on another backup quarterback in Ohio State's Dom Silver who picked Boston College. Skyler Williams, Mack's starter at Kennesaw State, signed with Texas although it appears that there wasn't much interest between both parties.

There were still some solid gets, however, in running back Trumaine Lasike who had thirteen touchdowns last year for Iowa State and is a 200-plus pounder that should be able to spell Trent Parrish and eat up some tough carries. They added two productive receivers in Jalen Ramsay on the outside and Sam Tonga in the slot to replace the departing Jeremiah Ware and Deion Jasso respectively.

Along the offensive line, they added some bodies in Alexander Mixon and George Vallos that have the body type to be able to compete for a starting spot in the offseason, especially Vallos who has two years of eligibility and is listed at six-foot-eight and 332 pounds, a similar frame to Pryor.

2029 Stanford Cardinal Transfer Recruiting Class (No. 26 Nationally, No. 6 ACC)
Neil Pryor [LT #1]: 6'8", 330lbs | Herriman, UT

| 4-Star (Jr)
Jalen Ramsay [WR #18]: 6'2", 212lbs | San Mateo, CA

| 4-star (Sr)
Trumaine Lasike [HB #14]: 6'1", 208lbs | Olathe, KS

| 4-star (Jr)
Alexander Mixon [RT #6]: 6'5", 320lbs | Cincinnati, OH

| 3-star (Sr)
Sam Tonga [WR #28]: 5'11", 189lbs | Lompoc, CA

| 3-star (Jr)
George Vallos [RT #9]: 6'8", 332lbs | San Antonio, TX

| 3-star (Jr)
Zach Hoppes [QB #19]: 6'5", 198lbs | Baton Rouge, LA

| 3-star (Jr)
DeAndre Megna [CB #22]: 5'9", 178lbs | Gardendale, AL

| 3-star (Sr)
Javon Canady [EDGE #26]: 6'5", 235lbs | Montgomery, AL

| 3-star (Soph)

2029 Stanford Cardinal Transfer Recruiting Board
Jaylen Labinjo [G #1]: 6'5", 301lbs | West Monroe, LA

| 4-star (Soph)

Miles Kyle [CB #2]: 6'0", 175lbs | Solon, IA

| 4-star (Jr)

Cory Koroma [G #2]: 6'3", 332lbs | Euless, TX

| 4-star (Jr)

Dajon Hinton [CB #19]: 5'10", 197lbs | San Diego, CA

| 4-star (Sr)

Cole Welliver [QB #8]: 6'7", 226lbs | Flower Mound, TX

| 4-star (Sr)

Jamarice Wilder [HB #11]: 5'9", 188lbs | Venice, FL

| 4-star (Sr)

Imani Ibbara [EDGE #8]: 6'6", 253lbs | Anaheim, CA

| 4-star (Jr)

Dashaun Spears [WR #15]: 5'8", 200lbs | Birmingham, AL

| 4-star (Sr)

Sidney Dwyer [FS #3]: 6'1", 205lbs | Crosby, TX

| 4-star (Jr)

Dom Silver [QB #48]: 6'1", 210lbs | Akron, OH

| 3-star (Soph)

Jabari Deablo [ILB #41]: 6'3", 222lbs | Columbia, SC

| 3-star (Soph)

2029 Stanford Cardinal Transfer Portal Departures
Josh Ghee [QB #9]: 6'1", 211lbs | Williamstown, NJ | 4-star

Xavier Squires [FS #2]: 6'1", 201lbs | Pelahatchie, MS | 4-star

Deon Jasso [WR #19]: 5'7", 179lbs | Montgomery, AL | 4-star

Gregory Hocker [G #6]: 6'1", 311lbs | Federal Way, WA | 3-star

Steele Pizzella [QB #73]: 5'11", 191lbs | Simi Valley, CA | 3-star Unsigned
Brendan McClean [SS #8]: 6'2", 214lbs | Washington, DE | 3-star

Orlando Mangold [OLB #24]: 6'4", 227lbs | Harvest, AL | 3-star

Timmy Burnette [CB #77]: 5'11", 177lbs | Harvest, AL | 3-star

Carlos Whalen [WR #17]: 6'3", 209lbs | Hueytown, AL | 4-star

JaMarcus Eakin [C #3]: 6'3", 278lbs | Hueytown, AL | 4-star

Layne Cook [T #6]: 6'4", 300lbs | Newbury Park, CA | 4-star

James Sweet [WR #22]: 6'5", 192lbs | Henderson, NV | 4-star

Mitch Tuggle [WR #58]: 6'2", 161lbs | Kahuku, HI | 4-star

Post by **Soapy** » 17 Sep 2025, 19:49

redsox907 wrote: ↑
17 Sep 2025, 19:09
not looking good for S2

we might be cooked

Post by **Caesar** » 17 Sep 2025, 19:58

Bubba Mack lost his recruiting touch!

Post by **Soapy** » 17 Sep 2025, 22:29

Kansas transfer Zach Hoopes delivers the first shot across the bow in quarterback battle at Stanford's spring game
Chris Wallace -- 247Sports Stanford Football Insider

The first vestiges of Bubba Mack's second season as Stanford's head coach was on display this past Saturday evening when the Stanford Cardinal took part in a rarity these days: a full on spring scrimmage reminiscent of the early years that was open to season ticket holders and the media.

The event wasn't televised and official stats weren't kept but the program has released a few clippings on social media from Saturday's event which was held at Stanford Stadium, including the highlight of the night which was a touchdown pass from one transfer in quarterback Zach Hoopes to another in receiver Sam Tonga on a wheel route. Tonga got a step on linebacker Richard Causin and was able to make the catch in the endzone as Hoopes dropped the ball into a bucket where only Tonga could make the play.

With only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster in Hoopes and redshirt freshman Alex Rowe, both quarterbacks got extensive work in the scrimmage, rotating on Team Cardinal (cardinal jersey) and Team Stanford (white jersey).

Official score wasn't kept as players rotated on both teams but from a quarterback perspective, Hoopes certainly won the day and was the more productive of the two quarterbacks with a couple of touchdowns and no turnovers. Rowe got off to a rough start, some of it by no fault of his own with dropped passes and but the operation just seemed to run smoother when Hoopes was at quarterback.

Mack said after the event that a coin toss is what decided which quarterback got to take the field first, which was Hoopes, and that the quarterback competition will likely continue until fall camp.

"We feel really good about both guys," Mack added, "One of the upsides about having a relatively thin quarterback room is that there are plenty of reps to go around so they're getting plenty of chances to make mistakes, learn from them and make plays so there's been a tremendous opportunity for growth and exposure."

Jimmie Winston continues to get his feet wet at safety
Stanford lost both starting safeties from last season in Darrius Davis (graduation) and Xavier Squires (transfer portal) and then were unable to land one in the transfer portal after going all in on Sidney Dwyer, who signed with Oklahoma.

They were able to get a cornerback in DeAndre Megna, an experienced senior with plenty of snaps in the SEC during his time at Mississippi State, which gave them the luxury to explore moving returning starter Jimmie Winston from corner to safety where Winston has played most of the spring.

Stanford defensive coordinator Brian Stewart says that Winston is "still in the picture" but that the coaching staff wants to continue getting him experience at safety since they know what he is at corner.

"We feel very confident if we had to play [Winston] right now at corner," Stewart said to the media following the scrimmage, "So we just want to get him more experience at safety, get more comfortable to where it feels like a second home to him and also gives us a chance to look at some of our other guys."

Those other guys are fifth-year senior Lonnie McAllister, who saw extensive snaps last year at nickel, and redshirt sophomore J.T. Kipper. Stewart said both players had good springs but did acknowledge that Kipper got beaten for a touchdown to sophomore Zach Yelk from Hoopes and that McAllister "had his hands full" with transfer Jalen Ramsay.

A light day for the running backs in a mostly passing affair
Stanford has the nation's leading running game last year with three 1,000-yard rushers, led by quarterback Tavien St. Clair along with running backs Sire Gaines and Trent Parrish. Parrish returns as Stanford's co-lead back and transfer portal addition Trumaine Lasike.

Both players were kept in bubble wrap with just a few snaps among them and as a whole, Stanford didn't run the ball much on Saturday with less than a dozen carries throughout the night. It might have been by design in an effort to limit the physicality and the risk of injuries.

The Cardinal will likely be a run-first offense, as has always been the case for Mack's teams, both at Stanford and at Kennesaw State in previous years, but it wasn't evident on Saturday. Other notable projected starters that didn't see much playing time includes tight end Tyrone Nicks, last year's Mackey Award winner. Mack joked after the game that he's keeping Nicks on 'ice' until the season starts.

"We tell our defensive guys to be mindful with the contact whenever we're tackling to the ground," Mack said, "But with a guy like Tyrone [Nicks], you almost have to come in and blow him up if you're going to take him down. We're keeping him on ice so he don't hurt himself or hurt somebody out there."

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