STANFORD, Calif. - The state of Texas continues to have a huge impact on the success of Stanford's football program, with nine current players hailing from the Lone Star State, second only to California. Many traveled to El Paso last year when the Cardinal played North Carolina in the Sun Bowl, and all will make the trip to San Antonio next week for the Valero Alamo Game on Dec. 28 against TCU.
Two of the program's biggest stars -- Andrew Luck (Houston) and Solomon Thomas (Coppell) -- came from Texas.
"Growing up in Texas, obviously football is life," said senior safety Brandon Simmons. "You go to a lot of camps and meet a lot of people. You play each other throughout your careers, and that's where you get to know each other and make those connections. When you get a Stanford offer, you can't pass it up."
Simmons grew up in Mansfield, hometown of Stanford's all-time leading rusher Stepfan Taylor, and played in the 2014 Army U.S. All-American Bowl at the Alamodome, site of the Stanford-TCU contest.
"I'm very blessed to have this opportunity to go back home and play in front of my family," he said. "Being on the West Coast, you don't get a lot of opportunities for your family to come out and watch you play."
Sophomore long snapper Richard McNitzky was born in Corpus Christi, but moved to San Antonio at age 2.
"I grew up watching the Alamo Bowl and went to it every year with my family," said McNitzky. "Now to get to play in front of my friends and family is a dream come true."
Sophomore tight end Kaden Smith is from Flower Mound. Admittedly, Texas players have a special bond.
"We do have a different connection," he said. "We're always talking about going home and getting a chance to play in our home state. Even last year in the bowl game, even though some of us did not play, we were very excited to go back and show the team what Texas is about."
McNitzky is already licking his chops.
"You can't beat the food," said McNitzky, named Pac-12 All-Academic first team and CoSIDA academic all-district. "We have Tex-Mex and good seafood and steak houses. We also have Whataburger, which is better than In-N-Out."
Simmons concedes Texas recruits have been influenced by players like Luck and Thomas. But there is more to it.
"The biggest thing about Stanford is that you have to put in the work," he said. "That either attracts or deters people. The guys that want to come to Stanford and put the work in, they're going to come regardless."
Perhaps no one has a better perspective of Stanford's influence in Texas than Cardinal defensive backs coach Duane Akina, who spent 13 seasons overseeing the secondary at the University of Texas. Two of his children live in Austin.
"The coaches who have recruited there -- Coach (Pete) Alamar, Coach (Diron) Reynolds and Coach (Tavita) Pritchard have really done a nice job," said Akina. "Stanford is a national brand. We all know about the academics, but the coaches who have been here a while, Coach (David) Shaw, Coach (Lance) Anderson and Coach (Mike) Bloomgren have really developed a consistency, and it's hard to have the consistency this place has had."
Having coached for 38 years, Akina has seen it all and has a greater appreciation for what Stanford has accomplished.
"It's a unique place, because our expectation level is to line up and beat the best," he said. "And yet after the game, if Harvard or Yale call and want to challenge us in a debate, we'll win that one, too. I think the kids see that the opportunity isn't there for many."
Those that come to The Farm seldom suffer stage fright. Most have already played in front of thousands of spectators in the phenomenon known as Friday Night Lights.
"There's a great passion for high school football from way back," said Akina. "People take great pride in it and the high school coaches do a great job. I promise you there's nothing like Texas high school football games on a Friday night. There is a buzz in the air."
After finishing fall quarter finals on Friday, players were thrilled to return to the practice field Saturday despite cool and windy conditions.
"Finals were pretty stressful," said Smith. "I think weight was lifted off all of our shoulders. Now we get a chance to be football players, and I think that's always our favorite time of the year."
The Cardinal leaves for San Antonio on Dec. 22.
After a whirlwind tour on the awards circuit, including stops in Atlanta and New York, Bryce Love is back with his teammates. The junior running back became only the second Cardinal player (Toby Gerhart, 2009) to capture the Doak Walker Award, presented to the nation's top running back and was a unanimous All-American selection. Love finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting.
"It was an amazing experience," Love said. "Being able to meet so people on a personal level -- I'm thankful and happy to have been a part of it."
Hanging out with fellow Heisman finalists Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma and Lamar Jackson of Louisville was one of the highlights.
"Meeting those guys and being able to go through it all with my family and my brother made it really special, said Love. "I hadn't seen him in a few months, and I was definitely happy for that."
As has been the case for most of the last two months, Love has been held out of practice and continues to rehab an ankle injury. He played in the closing four games and surpassed 100 yards rushing in each.
"It's been working so far," said Shaw, who continues to limit Love's on-field participation during practice.
Love has run for 1,973 yards this season and knows the Stanford ground game will be tested by the Horned Frogs, who rank fourth nationally against the run.
"We've watched them on film and they are very physical," he said. "It will be a great challenge."
When practice concluded Saturday, players broke the huddle by shouting, "Force Be With You." That's because all were headed to see the new movie, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."
Many are long-time fans of the series, none more than Thomas, now playing for the San Francisco 49ers. He and several teammates once wore costumes to the movies and thought nothing of spending hours in line to secure good seats.
Bloomgren, the Andrew Luck Director of Offense, was recently named head coach at Rice. However, he will coach the Cardinal at the Alamo Bowl.
"I believe in finishing," said Bloomgren. "It's something we talk about so much around here. It would have been really hard for me to walk away from these guys. Somebody like David Bright, who I have known for seven years and being at his school and recruiting him ... that would have been tough on me.
"I also felt there was some unfinished business. We've got a chance to get 10 wins for the sixth time in seven seasons. That's a pretty good barometer in college football."
Bloomgren received the blessings of Shaw and Rice athletic director Joe Karlgaard, who formerly worked at Stanford.
"They both wanted me to do it," Bloomgren said. "I don't mind how much sleep is lost."
The early signing period for high school seniors is Dec. 20-22. Shaw expects commitments from several student-athletes, with the remainder of the class to be announced in February.
"We haven't really changed how we recruit," said Shaw. "We don't pressure guys. Once they get admitted, they're our guy."
Extra Points … Sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello boasts the nation's highest passer rating on deep passes at 136.6 … Former Cardinal running back Barry Sanders attended practice on Saturday. He now works for Electronic Arts.
Quotable ... "We're all excited about the opportunity to win another trophy." - Kaden Smith
