Stanford rises in On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings
Stanford notched an impressive win on the recruiting trail Saturday when Folsom (Calif.) four-star tight end Walker Lyons committed to the Cardinal. Lyons’ decision elevated Stanford’s class to No. 19 in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. His pledge moved the Cardinal’s class up six spots from No. 25. The Cardinal’s class is also No. 3 in the Pac-12.
“One of the biggest reasons I chose Stanford is because of their tight end production,” Lyons told On3’s Chad Simmons. “Over the last 10 years, Stanford has produced more tight ends for the NFL than any other school.
“Outside of the degree, I know I will be seen at tight end playing at Stanford. The NFL scouts will see me, they like how Stanford develops players at my position, and that was big for me.”
Lyons is the No. 98 overall prospect and No. 5 tight end in the 2023 On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. The 6-foot-4, 225 pound recruit is also the No. 8 player in California.
Lyons’ pledge continues strong recruiting summer for Stanford
It’s been a good week for Stanford on the recruiting trail. The Cardinal landed Lyons and American Fork (Utah) four-star EDGE Hunter Clegg in a five-day period.
Those two recruits represent a third of Stanford’s six four-star recruits in the class of 2023. The others include Haslet (Texas) Eaton tight end Jaden Platt, Mission Hills (Calif.) St. John Bosco cornerback Jshawn Frausto-Ramos, Miami Christopher Columbus High School running back Sedrick Irvin Jr. and Bainbridge (Ga.) Robert F. Munroe Day School wide receiver Ahmari Borden.
Irvin Jr. committed to head coach David Shaw three weeks ago on June 30. He was previously committed to Notre Dame.
Stanford also landed three other commitments in June in Canutillo (Tex.) three-star running back L.J. Martin, Woodberry Forest (Va.) three-star defensive lineman Armel Mukam and Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian three-star offensive tackle Luke Baklenko. Additionally, Elk Grove (Calif.) three-star interior offensive lineman Simione Pale pledged to the Cardinal on July 1.
Following Lyons’ announcement, Stanford’s 2023 recruiting class is up to 12 players.
Cardinal are still in the hunt for talented prospects
According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Stanford has a chance to land multiple four-star recruits and increase its class ranking.
Provo (Utah) Timpview four-star defensive tackle Siale Esera and Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei four-star linebacker Leviticus Su’a are two of them. The RPM lists the Cardinal as the favorite for both Esera (43.7%) and Su’a (56.7%).
Su’a has visited Stanford twice, more than any other school. He took his official visit on June 24 and also traveled to Palo Alto for an unofficial visit on March 4. Meanwhile, Esera has his official visit with the Cardinal scheduled for Nov. 25. His unofficial visit happened on Aug. 2, 2021.
Both Esera and Su’a are top-400 prospects in the On3 Consensus.
Stanford is also in contention for Burke (Va.) Gonzaga four-star offensive tackle Evan Link, who is rated the No. 285 overall prospect and No. 21 offensive tackle in the On3 Consensus. He has visited the Cardinal twice, including for an official visit on June 24.
While the RPM gives Stanford a 30.8% chance to land Link, the Cardinal are second to Penn State at 52.4%. Link has visited the Nittany Lions four times and most recently took an official visit to State College on June 10.