STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford football team selected six captains for the 2015 season, the program announced Tuesday evening. They were outside linebacker Kevin Anderson, offensive guard Joshua Garnett, cornerback Ronnie Harris, quarterback Kevin Hogan, inside linebacker Blake Martinez and offensive tackle Kyle Murphy.
The captains were picked by a player vote.
“It’s a great group of guys and our team chose wisely,” David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, said Wednesday after practice.
Hogan, a fifth-year senior from McLean, Virginia, was named for the second consecutive year, becoming the first Cardinal player to receive that distinction since safety Bo McNally in 2008-09.
The 6-4, 218-pound Hogan is 24-8 overall as a starter and 11-6 against opponents ranked in the AP top 25. He is listed on the 2015 Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year watch list, the Maxwell Award watch list, the Davey O’Brien Award watch list, the Manning Award watch list, and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list.
A science, technology and society major, Hogan started 13 games last season and threw for 2,792 yards and 19 touchdowns, while completing 65.9 percent of his passes. He also rushed 91 times for 295 yards.
Anderson, a 6-4, 244-pound fifth-year senior from Palo Alto, California, has been selected to the Bednarik Award watch list and the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list. Last year, Anderson collected 52 tackles (32 solo) and posted 11.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks
A civil engineering major who is working on his master’s degree in sustainable energy and construction, Anderson played in 14 games as a sophomore in 2013, recording 26 tackles and 6.5 for loss, and returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown against Michigan State in the Rose Bowl. He also appeared in 14 games in 2012 on passing downs and on special teams.
Garnett, a 6-5, 321-pounder from Puyallup, Washington, came to The Farm in 2012 and made an immediate impact, playing in 14 games and became the first freshman to start on the offensive line since 2000. A human biology major, he is on the Rotary Lombardi Award watch list and Outland Trophy watch list, and is an SI.com and CBS Sports preseason All-America second-team choice.
Harris, a 5-10, 172-pound fifth-year senior from Atlanta, Georgia, started three games last year and has been a key contributor in the secondary and on special teams. He played in 13 games last season and 14 in 2013 and 2012. He has completed a degree in psychology and is taking pre-med classes.
Martinez, a 6-2, 245-pounder from Tucson, Arizona, led Stanford in tackles last year with 102 and chalked up 7.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, three interceptions and forced two fumbles. A management, science and engineering major, he has been named to the Butkus Award watch list, the Rotary Lombardi watch list, the Nagurski Trophy watch list, the Bednarik Award watch list and Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list.
Murphy, a 6-7, 301-pounder from San Clemente, California, was an All-Pac-12 second team pick last year and started every game at right tackle. He has moved to left tackle this year with loss of All-American Andrus Peat to the NFL, and is on the Rotary Lombardi Award watch list, the Outland Trophy watch list and is an Athlon preseason All-America fourth team selection.
“I’m excited about all six for different reasons,” said Shaw. “Kevin was an incumbent and was always going to be a captain. He’s grown so much from last year that his leadership is just natural. It’s been exciting to see.
“Josh has taken his game to the next level. He’s the vocal guy, the loud guy, but he’s playing at a really high level.
“Kyle is going to be one of the best tackles in the nation by the end of the year. He is a great example of how hard you need to work to be good and he’s worked extremely hard. He took one for the team last year and played right tackle and now he’s moved over to his natural position.
“Blake is the heartbeat of the defense, just because of how hard he plays, how physical he is and how passionate he is.
“Kevin is the energizer of the group. He never gets tired and goes all day.
“Ronnie is that vocal leader we need on the defensive side. When everybody is down, he’s the one who gets everybody going again.”