Stanford Football: Grading the 2018 Cardinal recruiting class
By Zach Bigalke
| PLAY | POS | STARS |
| Andres Fox | DE | 4 |
| Thomas Booker | DE | 4 |
| Kendall Williamson | CB | 3 |
| Tobe Umerah | DE | 3 |
| Jacob Mangum-Farrar | OLB | 3 |
| Caleb Kelly | OLB | 3 |
| Donjae Logan | CB | 3 |
| Ethan Bonner | CB | 3 |
Defense: C
The Cardinal defense brought in eight players by the end of the recruiting cycle. The defensive line got the most love, with a pair of four-star defensive ends headlining this year’s Stanford recruiting class.
Andres Fox was ranked No. 16 nationally among weakside defensive ends. Stanford managed to pluck him away from the state of Alabama despite interest from eight SEC schools, Florida State, Notre Dame, and a slew of other powerhouses. Fox was joined on the list of new Stanford recruits by strongside defensive end Thomas Booker. The prospect from Baltimore ranked No. 11 at his position in this year’s class.
David Shaw’s staff also brought in a pair of three-star outside linebackers. Jacob Mangum-Farrar and Caleb Kelly will help provide additional pressure on the edge. This quartet could continue the Stanford tradition of hosting parties in the backfield for years to come.
On the back end of things, Stanford focused mainly on cornerback in secondary recruiting. They landed three cornerbacks, all of which were three-star prospects. The lack of attention to the safety spots could prove costly given the position’s heavy skew toward upperclassmen on the current roster.
In total, Stanford landed a decent haul of defenders. They should be solid on both edges of the defensive line for years to come. The front seven is in good shape in general, but the inability to bring in more four-star players made this year’s class just a C effort by Shaw and staff.