STANFORD, Calif – One of the biggest question marks entering spring practice was whether reduced hitting would delay the development of young and inexperienced players heading into fall camp.
After watching last Saturday's Cardinal and White Spring Game, that doesn't seem to be the case for the Stanford football team.
Bodies were flying around Cagan Stadium, especially on defense, which recorded a 20-14 victory by limiting the offense to two touchdowns. The defense registered four sacks against four quarterbacks and played aggressively throughout.
"I like where our defensive backs and young linebackers are right now," said David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football.
Due to injuries, specifically on the offensive line, Shaw and his staff chose to limit physical contact and focus on technique and individual skill development this spring.
"We played fast and hard," said freshman inside linebacker Ricky Miezan, hoping to contend for one of two spots created by the departure of mainstays Bobby Okereke and Sean Barton. "All the work we put in this spring manifested itself."
Miezan and fellow frosh Jacob Mangum-Farrar are expected to battle converted outside linebacker junior Curtis Robinson, junior Andrew Pryts and senior Ryan Beecher for inside playing time.
"In the fall, I picked up so much from Bobby and Sean," Miezan said. "The older guys kind of mentored us into what a Stanford linebacker is."
For perspective, Okereke led the team with 96 tackles each of the last two seasons.
"Not having as many live periods definitely helped, just focusing in on us and building the inside linebackers," said Miezan. "We haven't had that much game experience, so we have been focusing on techniques. We need to start with the basics and build from there."
The nation's third-ranked high school lacrosse player, the Alexandria, Virginia, native didn't play football until his junior year but caught on quickly. As a senior, he made 55 tackles and earned all-state honors.
"I was a midfielder, so the back and forth running really helped with conditioning," he said. "I feel I can stay out and endure a lot of plays and stay fresh. Lacrosse really helped with my side-to-side movement and agility."
As a true freshman last season, Miezan appeared in four Stanford games on special teams. He quickly learned that skill does always translate to success.
"You can be a great athlete, but you need to know the scheme to be able to go out there and play," said Miezan. "That's the number one thing: hone-in on the details and understand what you're doing so you can play fast."
New roles: Several young receivers stood out this spring, notably sophomore Connor Wedington, freshman Michael Wilson and freshman Simi Fehoko. Wedington was limited by injuries last year and appeared in four games and redshirted, while the 6-2 Wilson played in all 13 contests with two starts, catching 14 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-4 Fehoko returned after a two-year church mission and saw action in the last four games, grabbing one reception.
"It's been so good to finally get back on the field and play the game I love," said Fehoko, who teamed up with quarterback K.J. Costello for a 19-yard touchdown catch Saturday on a short crossing route.
"We're young but we're talented."
Big contributions are also expected from sophomore Osiris St. Brown, junior Donald Stewart and freshman Brycen Tremayne.
"We're cautiously optimistic," said Shaw, looking to replace JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Trenton Irwin. "Michael and Connor had outstanding springs. Simi started off with an injury but was able to come back. I think the combination of guys we have right now is pretty exciting."
So does sophomore cornerback Paulson Adebo. As a first-year starter, he led the nation with 24 passes defended and earned FWAA All-America second team.
"We have a chance to let them loose and do some good things," he said of the Stanford wideouts. "We didn't get to see that much of Connor last year, but I think he's going to do some big things."
Costello and the other quarterbacks spent extra time after practice working with the receivers to improve timing and chemistry. That will continue during voluntary workouts the next few months.
Fehoko and Costello have a long-standing connection.
"All the way back to high school," said Fehoko. "We played in the Army All-American Game together. We're close and we're going to get there."
Added Costello, "The second half of last season, every guy on the field, every route they ran, I just had insane confidence."
Admittedly, it's a process.
"Even with JJ, I remember barely missing on stuff for a year-and-a-half," Costello said. "I'm going to do everything I can to help them develop. I want success from one-on-one and seven-on-seven to correlate to the team."
Not satisfied: Adebo intercepted one pass and nearly had another in the spring game.
"I gotta finish the second one," he said.
After establishing himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the country last year, Adebo is looking to step up his game.
"I think the big thing for me is just trying to keep being aggressive, having good eye control, and knowing that there are going to be a lot of double moves since I'm jumping routes," he said.
Running backs, tight ends praised: Shaw singled out his running backs for their work this spring. A new starter is assured with the loss of Bryce Love.
"I like the way they are running right now," he said, "there are a lot of things we worked on that we didn't do (Saturday), but our guys are running hard.
"I think we used our tight ends well. Maybe not like we typically do, but our tight ends are in a good spot. I told them I really appreciate all they have done. I told them to execute and that's what we did."
Sense of urgency: Fall training camp begins Aug. 1 and the season-opener is Aug. 31 against Northwestern at Stanford Stadium. The Wildcats (9-5) were Big Ten West Division champs last year and capped their season by winning the Holiday Bowl.
The Cardinal opens Pac-12 play at perennial rival USC on Sept. 7, then travels to Orlando to face UCF, which has lost one game in two years.
"Our offense needs to be ready to go by day one," Costello said. "Last year, I feel like we started late. We got into a groove the last half of the season. If we can do that for the bulk of the season, everything else will take care of itself."
Good stick: Costello, a scratch golfer, found time after the season to sharpen his game. He fired a career-best 3-under-par 69 at California Golf Club in South San Francisco.
Costello is a big fan of Cardinal alum Tiger Woods, who bagged his 15th major championship on Sunday at the Masters. Costello was glued to his television.
My motivation is to earn a fist pump from The G.O.A.T?? lol https://t.co/3qHM1uv6QS
— LilKev (@kj_costello) April 13, 2019
Full Effort: Stanford was short on offensive lineman this spring so sophomore Drew Dalman, junior Henry Hattis, freshman Grant Pease, junior Dylan Powell and sophomore Foster Sarell played every down in the Cardinal and White Spring Game. The team needed each of them on every play to make the game possible and they delivered. Tight end Tucker Fisk also played a key role for the Cardinal offensive line as he filled in when needed during spring practices.
Familiar faces: Among the former players who attended the Cardinal and White Game to lend support were Toby Gerhart, Kevin Hogan, Brennan Scarlett, Frank Buncom, Kaden Smith, Trenton Irwin, Nate Herbig, Keller Chryst, Jake Bailey, Arcega-Whiteside, Okereke and Nick Wilson.
Many attended an alumni networking social the previous night. Gerhart, enrolled at Stanford Graduate School of Business, arrived wearing cleats and had gloves hanging out of his back pocket. He left early to play in an intramural football game for his GSB team.
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