Stanford Football: 3 signees who’ll have instant impacts in 2020

This one was close. It was between John Humphreys and all-purpose back EJ Smith. Both will see time as freshmen, but Humphreys is just so physically imposing it’s hard not to take your eyes off of him. He is a big physical receiver that puts you more in the mind of JJ Arcega-Whiteside than any receiver currently on the roster.

Stanford is loaded at receiver, but Humphreys is so talented he is going to take receptions from some of the other receivers. Ideally, that’s what you want anyway. You want young players good enough to take snaps away from veterans — that’s how all of the elite programs stay elite.

When you look at Humphreys, he is an imposing young man. He looks ready to play day one. He has big hands, and he is not afraid to make the tough catch in traffic.

Much like fellow freshman Myles Hinton, Humphreys has quite the pedigree. His father played football at Stanford, his mother played volleyball at Stanford, his brother played football at Duke and his sister plays volleyball at USC. He’s a crisp route-runner who wins 50-50 balls using his big body; that he learned playing basketball at his alma mater Corona Del Mar.

Coming from a family of athletes, Humphreys is not afraid to compete; that will serve him well this fall.