Gap Down Backer.

[Caesar]

Malik Marshall must be 80 overall if you setting that O/U that high.

[Soapy]

Another fall camp at another school for Stanford left tackle D.J. Baas and his long, winding road to Palo Alto
By Elijah Guerra, The Mercury News Sports Writer • 8 min read

Depending on who you ask, D.J. Baas is everything wrong with the transfer portal. For others, Baas is exactly why the portal is important.

When the Stanford Cardinal opened fall camp this past Wednesday, it was Baas' fourth fall camp at three different schools. It's hopefully the last one for the redshirt junior who Stanford head coach Bubba Mack calls an undoubtable NFL talent.

"It's easy to see why coaches love him and he was a top kid coming out of high school," Mack said of Baas back in the spring when he transferred in from Penn State after not playing last season, "The talent is there, the technique is there. When the consistency comes, you're talking about not just a guy that's going to be playing in the NFL but that's going to make a lot of money playing in the NFL and we just need to instill that confidence in him as a coaching staff."

Confidence isn't something you expect to be lacking in a former four-star prospect who was one of the top ranked players in the portal but when you dig into Baas' journey to Palo Alto, it makes more sense.

The Ohio native signed with NC State out of high school, redshirting his freshman season and then playing in just one game as a redshirt freshman for the Wolfpack. Baas, like many other kids in his situation, entered the portal land landed at Marshall where he got the starting right tackle job.

It was a whirlwind of an experience for Baas who played in all fourteen games and surrendered eighteen sacks but the talent was once again evident and the chance to jump back into the Power 4 level was enticing for him so he did, ending up at Penn State where he competed for the right tackle spot. The next few months would be the toughest of his career.

"I had a lot of high expectations for myself going to [Penn State]," Baas said, "Obviously, things didn't pan out the way I wanted them to but it was just a good learning moment for me and a humbling one."

Baas won't get into the details, and neither has Penn State's coaching staff, but after losing the starting job, Baas was practically away from team, no longer traveling with them but still practicing, essentially a redshirt season without the redshirt. He contemplated returning to Penn State but eventually entered the portal for a third time, a decision he said he struggled with for a very long time.

"I didn't want to be one of those kids," Baas added, "I think you have a certain reputation when people look at you and see your transcript and it's like you've been everywhere but ultimately, I felt like it was the right decision for me."

One of those kids is safety Shaquille Duke, whose played at four different schools and will be five when he takes the field for the Cardinal this fall. Duke has quickly emerged as a leader for the Cardinal defense after transferring in from Central Michigan, something Baas takes motivation from.

"Sometimes, you get it wrong at first," Baas says, "Or maybe you needed to be at that school at that time for a very specific reason and now you need to be somewhere else."

Baas is hoping he gets it right by coming to Stanford to replace left tackle Neil Pryor, another transfer that turned into an NFL Draft pick. Stanford and Mack are wishing it too.

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Stanford Cardinal receiver Shawn Butler (15) runs a route at practice.

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Baas isn't the only player trying to establish themselves during fall camp and solidify a starting spot. Stanford has a rotation of outside receivers opposite of Rodney Cookus in sophomores Kyle Morrison and Brent Baker but it's another second-year receiver that's been a head turner during the early portion of fall camp practices.

Georgia's Shawn Butler, who was signed in the same class as Morrison and Baker but redshirted last year, has been impressive. He's not as physically impressive as the six-foot-five Baker or as smooth as Morrison but he's the fastest and most explosive of the bunch.

He needs to improve on his play strength, which is why he was redshirted last year, but he has a knack for making plays when given opportunities which were limited in spring but have been more consistent in the fall.

Other notables
▪ Newcomers Mike Thomas (transfer) and Jaron Azumah (true freshman) could have a bigger role than many expected based on their usage during public portion of practices and clips that have been released from the school's social media page. Thomas and Azumah are a pair of good looking safeties that bring a lot of physicality to a safety room that can be described, physically, as being on the lighter side.

▪ A forgotten man has been Anthony Masifilo who switched his number from 26 to 4 in the offseason and looks even better than last year where he averaged 7.5 yards per carry and rushed for 909 yards and nine touchdowns. A lot is expected from Rashawn Crouse, the talented sophomore, and the hyped recruits in Malik Marshall and Trevon Winbush but if anyone is going to replace Trumaine Lasike's big play ability, it's Masifilo who projects to be a factor in the passing game as well.

▪ The announcement hasn't been made but it's pretty clear that Earl Nienhuis is QB1. He not only took all of the first team snaps during the public portion of practice but he's been the clear vocal leader in warm-ups and in between drills. Consistency will be key with Nienhuis, a first-time starter whose never taken a college snap, but there's just a lot more juice in his arm than Alex Rowe which is probably why Stanford decided to move forward with him.

▪ Expect a lot of rotation at linebacker throughout fall camp as they look to find their Manu Toomer/Isaiah Lanovoi replacements. There might not be a true 2-for-2 and instead lean on a platoon system. The only issue with that is potential communication gaffs but with a veteran cornerback room and two veteran-ish safeties in second-year starter Angel Bass and a transfer in Shaquille Duke who is a fifth-year starter, they might help buoy this linebacker room as it finds its footing.

[Soapy]

Malik Marshall must be 80 overall if you setting that O/U that high.

also factoring in that he's a five-star so higher usage is expected

[Captain Canada]

Elijah Guerra? You're a sick dude

[djp73]

Going to be interesting seeing how the offense performs this season with all the changes

Yes indeed, I have a feeling this offense is going to be similar to our 2nd season where it was spread out, no real star of the team

sometimes that makes it easier to be consistent

[redsox907]

I was hoping Rowe would win the position and have a huge year of redemption. Mack is ruthless.

almost 1300 posts in and no championship appearance. need to lock in.

I wasin't going to say it.

But Deuce and I the only ones to get a natty this year

[ShireNiner]

Baas sounds like a trouble maker but in a quiet way. Nobody should be transferring that much.

[Soapy]

Elijah Guerra? You're a sick dude

Going to be interesting seeing how the offense performs this season with all the changes

Yes indeed, I have a feeling this offense is going to be similar to our 2nd season where it was spread out, no real star of the team

sometimes that makes it easier to be consistent

we'll see. sometimes you need a guy to make a play though or take over a game.

I wasin't going to say it.

But Deuce and I the only ones to get a natty this year

Soon come (hopefully)

probably not this season though, the schedule is brutal

Baas sounds like a trouble maker but in a quiet way. Nobody should be transferring that much.

I kind of like the random players you find that have transferred that much, allows Soap De La Ghetto to get into his bag with their backstory

[Soapy]

yall can think Toy Soldier for the extended off-season coverage. Boy activated the old Soap

if necessary

[Soapy]