Stanford Spring Ball – Week 3Stanford Spring Ball – Week 3
Bob Drebin / isiphotos.com
Football

Stanford Spring Ball – Week 3

STANFORD, Calif. — The third week of spring football at Stanford was highlighted by the annual Spring Showcase on Saturday afternoon. Fans made their way to Stanford Stadium to catch a glimpse at the future of Stanford football while the event was televised on the Pac-12 Network.
 
While the format of Saturday's Spring Showcase followed a similar cadence to what a typical Stanford practice looks like, the main wrinkle came from it taking place inside Stanford Stadium. The team has been practicing on its practice fields next to Maples Pavilion most of the spring, with the only other practice inside the stadium taking place Friday afternoon.
 
Most of the individual positional drills occupied the first hour of practice, with the second hour featuring a lot of 11-on-11 drills that gave fans a look at what to expect in 2024. There were big plays, touchdowns, and great defensive plays aplenty.

 
A highlight from the broadcast on the Pac-12 Network was the variety of guests that stop by for interviews with Ted Robinson and Greg Camarillo. College Football Hall of Fame and Stanford legend Andrew Luck was the first guest, followed by the new Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men's Basketball Kyle Smith. Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football Troy Taylor and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Elic Ayomanor rounded out the telecast with live interviews.
 
"[Coach Taylor] knows where this thing is going. He has a vision, and he is articulating that vision to the players and the community," Luck mentioned about Coach Taylor, entering his second season on The Farm. "There are no shortcuts. You make the most of every day, you keep your nose down and keep grinding. And he is still able to attract some of the most talent football players in the nation. I'm excited to see where this is going."
 
Following this year's Spring Showcase, Coach Taylor spoke to the team before he made his way to the media covering the event. One of the first questions he was asked was about things that stood out during the two-hour practice. He wasted little time in answering.
 
"You know who made some plays today was Emmett Mosley V, he continues to make some big plays. I thought we protected well with the first group. I'll look at the tape, but I thought we did a lot of good things today."
 
Highlighting the performance of Mosley V is something that has stood out over the course of spring practices. Mosley V is one of the team's early enrollees and his addition makes the wide receiver room one of the deepest on the team, especially when factoring in the big play ability of Ayomanor and Tiger Bachmeier.
 
One thing that Coach Taylor brought up to the media following Saturday's Spring Showcase was not just the continuity of the roster, but also the coaching staff. That impact has gone a long way toward building an even better spring, which will translate well into the fall.
 
"You're doing so many things on the move in year when one everyone is trying to get to know each other," he explained. "You never feel like you can collect your breath. This year, we have a great feel for each other and there is an expectation from our players that they know how we want to practice. There's a lot less angst, more comfort, and the understanding that we want a tremendous amount of energy and passion put into the game."
 

 
Spring Showcase was one of several events on campus Saturday afternoon. Baseball hosted Oregon in the second game of their series, softball and UCLA battled in a pivotal Pac-12 clash, and beach volleyball closed out the home portion of its season with wins over California and UC Davis.
 
Three practices remain on the schedule next week, the final practices before the team takes some time off as summer nears.