Over at SB Nation's College Football Recruiting Hub, Bud Elliott took the time to create the top ranked recruiting classes for all us to enjoy, and the Stanford Cardinal are standing proud in seventh place amongst a litany of powerhouses, led by the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Card's 2012 class consists of 22 commitments, and is the highest ranked in the Pac-12, or in the West at all for that matter, highlighted by a triumvirate of offensive line juggernauts in Andrus Peat, Kyle Murphy and Joshua Garnett, setting the Cardinal offense up nicely for the next four years or so. Elliott called it "perhaps the best trio of offensive line recruits assembled by any one team in a century or more," high praise from a man who knows his stuff.
USC and UCLA were the closest teams in the Pac-12 to Stanford, coming in at 12th and 15th respectfully with strong 2012 classes of their own.
All in all, Stanford's 2012 recruiting class looks like this:
- Alex Carter, CB, 6-0, 195, Briar Woods HS, Ashburn, Va.
- Johnny Caspers, OL, 6-4, 285, Glenbard West HS, Glen Ellyn, Ill.
- Conner Crane, WR, 6-4, 190, John H. Guyer HS, Lantana, Texas.
- Nick Davidson, OL, 6-7, 285, Eden Prairie HS, Eden Prairie, Minn.
- Noor Davis, OLB, 6-4, 235, Leesburg HS, Leesburg, Fla.
- Brandon Fanaika, OL, 6-3, 320, Pleasant Grove HS, Pleasant Grove, Utah.
- Joshua Garnett, OL, 6-5, 305, Puyallup HS, Puyallup, Wash.
- Zach Hoffpauir, S, 6-0, 210, Centennial HS, Glendale, Ariz.
- Dontonio Jordan, WR, 5-11, 185, Lake Dallas HS, Hickory Creek, Texas
- Luke Kaumatule, DE/TE, 6-7, 260, Punahou School, Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Nate Lohn, DE, 6-3, 265, Staley HS, Kansas City, Mo.
- Drew Madhu, S, 6-1, 196, H.B Plant HS, Tampa, Fla.
- Blake Martinez, ILB, 6-2, 235, Canyon del Oro HS, Tucson, Ariz.
- Kyle Murphy, OL, 6-7, 278, San Clemente HS, San Clemente, Calif.
- Ikenna Nwafor, DT, 6-6, 300, Cistercian Preparatory, Irving, Texas.
- Andrus Peat, OL, 6-7, Corona del Sol HS, Tempe, Ariz.
- Michael Rector, WR, 6-1, 185, Bellarmine Preparatory, Gig Harbor, Wash.
- Barry Sanders, RB, 5-10, 185, Heritage Hall, Oklahoma City.
- Aziz Shittu, DE, 6-3, 275, Buhach Colony HS, Atwater, Calif.
- Graham Shuler, OL, 6-4, 277, Brentwood Academy, Franklin, Tenn.
- Jordan Watkins, DE, 6-5, 265, Woodward Academy, Decatur, Ga.
- Kodi Whitfield, WR, 6-2, 195, Loyola HS, Los Angeles.
For more on the Card, head over to Rule of Tree.