Stanford Football: Grading the 2018 Cardinal recruiting class

Overall: C

Stanford closed strong enough on National Signing Day. Landing McKee alone was a coup for the Cardinal that could pay major dividends in the long term. But Shaw’s squad only did so much to help out Stanford’s fortunes in the near future, given the targeted focus on a few key positions at the expense of broader recruiting efforts.

By the end of National Signing Day, Stanford finished third among Pac-12 North schools in recruiting and sixth in the Pac-12 overall. Historically, this would be a great recruiting class. But given the standards set by recent editions of the Cardinal, it was merely another par-for-the-course effort that might have even been weaker than usual.

Stanford went for quality over quantity, and in general they brought in players that should fit well into the culture on the Farm. But the lack of five-stars and the heavy skew toward three-star talent (especially on defense) throws off the grading curve.

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In the end, Stanford had a solid if unspectacular performance. They passed National Signing Day without too much trouble. It was hardly an earth-shattering performance, however, and the Cardinal land squarely among the middle of the Power Five in terms of their final grade.