Andrew Luck may be headed for the NFL, but that doesn’t mean that Stanford won’t have plenty of star power entering the 2012 season. That’s because on Saturday, the Cardinal got a commitment from one of the top prep running backs in the country, and a player who’s name is familiar to football fans worldwide: Barry J. Sanders, son of former Detroit Lions great Barry Sanders.
The younger Sanders made his commitment in front of a national TV audience at yesterday’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl:
“I get the chance to play with the greatest student-athletes in the world,” Sanders said at the time of the announcement.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gNmyx3t4ma0
And while there might be more high-profile players who committed on Saturday, few have the name cache and reputation that Sanders will bring to Palo Alto next year. Rivals.com’s eighth ranked running back in the 2012 class selected the Cardinal over overtures from some of the top schools in the country, including Florida and Alabama. Hometown Oklahoma State was also in the mix for Sanders, who played his high school ball at Heritage Hall High School in Oklahoma City.
Of course for all his on the field exploits, Sanders will of course always be better known as “the son of Barry Sanders.” The elder Sanders was one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, finishing with over 15,000 career yards and 109 touchdowns, to go along with 10 Pro Bowl selections. He was named the AP Offensive Player of the Year twice (1994 and 1997) and also took home the 1988 Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma State. Because of it, many thought the younger Sanders would himself become a Poke, and follow in his father’s footsteps. Instead, he’ll head out West to a team that has won 23 games over the last two seasons, but will basically become college football’s version of “Extreme Makeover.” Luck will be gone to the NFL along with All-American tackle Jonathan Martin, and a number of other key seniors.
But back to Sanders, because how he even ended up as a Stanford commit is really a store unto itself. As a highly recruited junior, Sanders wasn’t even considering the school, until a foot injury led him out to California for surgery and treatment. And it was there, where he met current head coach David Shaw, and apparently fell in love with the school.
As he told the Oklahoman’s Jason Kersey about the unusual recruitment:
“I went over to the campus, just to check it out; not knowing what I was gonna get myself into,”
He then followed up: “I wasn’t really interested at all. I got hurt, went out there on a visit and fell in love with it.”
And to his credit, Sanders made it happen. While he was qualified for every other school academically, Sanders had to finish up some courses that were unique to Stanford’s stringent pre-enrolled curriculum. According to the Oklahoman report, Sanders didn’t actually receive word that he’d qualified for the school until Friday morning, giving Saturday’s announcement a little extra oomph.
As to what kind of player the Cardinal will be getting, well, the highlight reel above (not to mention last name) just about says it all. He finished this season with 20 touchdowns and 1,343 yards, after missing most of his junior season to injury.
At Stanford, he’ll join a crowded backfield, where 1,300 yard rusher Stepfan Taylor is expected to return for his senior year.
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