The Stanford Cardinal keep on finding high-quality recruits, and are piecing together what could be one of the top classes in the country when all is said and done. Their latest recruit is defensive end Luke Kaumatule, considered the best recruit in all of Hawaii.
- Rivals: 18th strongside defensive end, top recruit in Hawaii.
- ESPN: 39th best defensive end, top recruit in Hawaii.
- Scout: 35th best defensive end
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247Sports: 10th top strongside defensive end, top recruit in state, 187th in top 247.
The Punahou defensive end could provide Stanford with a strong student-athlete who is also plenty capable athletically and could plug in right away to the 3-4 defense. One of the big reasons he chose Stanford was their great academic tradition, although the athletic success of the program couldn't have hurt either. Greg Biggins of ESPN has more on the decision.
"I actually committed last week, Kaumatule said. "I really liked everything about Stanford. Academics were the No. 1 thing for me, I said that from day one and academically, you just can't beat Stanford. Not only that, they have one of the best football programs in the nation so I'm getting the best of both worlds right now."
Standing at a tall 6'7", Kaumatule actually has more the height to be a dominant offensive tackle, but he'd have to put a lot of weight on before he's ready to contribute on that position. He seems more fit to be a speedy defensive end that could potentially be a mismatch for slower offensive tackles in the Pac-12, before rounding into true physical form and becoming a monster off the edge.
Here's video showcasing his playmaking ability.
(via soaks2000)
For more on Stanford football, check out Rule of Tree.