During the latter part of his sophomore year of high school, an enterprising defensive end from the state of Iowa did a bit of Internet sleuthing to connect with a fellow Hawkeye State native - who happened to be one of college football's best interior defensive linemen in 2015.

That paved the way for Dylan Boles to connect with Stanford, and it also provided a strong endorsement of the character of the people that comprise the Cardinal program.

"I always watched the program and I figured out David Parry was from Iowa," said Boles, a 2017 defensive end prospect. "I knew about his whole story, rising up as a walk-on to getting a scholarship with the program and then ultimately starting for them and becoming an All-Pac-12 guy. That was one of the top programs I was looking at and I was going to go to summer camp with. Right before the Stanford camp last year, I managed to actually look up his high school highlight film, and he still had his cell phone number there. So I was like, why the heck not try it.

"I texted him and said, 'Hey David, I'm Dylan Boles, I'm a class of 2017 defensive end from Van Meter, Iowa. Growing up in Iowa I know how the state is kind of under-recruited, but Stanford is one of my top schools that I'm looking at and I've watched you and all the other guys with the program like Trent Murphy, Josh Mauro, Ben Gardner, Henry Anderson, Shayne Skov, all those dudes, play.' I just said I'm a really big fan of the program and I think this is a place I want to try getting into. I let him know I was attending camp, and I asked if there was any way he could notify Coach Hart that I was going to attend. He got back to me and he said, 'Yeah, I'll give him a call.'

"I wrote Coach Hart an email and I also sent Lance Anderson an email as well (notifying them I would be attending camp). When I went out there I saw Randy Hart as we were by the Arrillaga Family Sports center hanging out there on the grass right before camp started. I saw him walking up and (we exchanged introductions). He said, 'Oh, yeah, Dylan, David Parry called me and let me know you were coming to camp.' From that instant, it was something that you realize that's part of the program - they just bring those types of guys who will do something for someone they don't know. They'll follow through and they'll be a man of their word. That was something in my eye that was very respectable about the program and an attribute of what it is to be a guy in that program and be a Stanford Man. That was a really cool moment."

Boles' interest in Stanford began well before his exchange with Parry and meeting Hart, however. He actually started following the Cardinal program in middle school.

"It pretty much started off right around sixth grade," Boles said. "I was setting my sights on, alright, what are some dream schools that I can set myself to a standard and work toward achieving? I went on the US World and News Report and at that time I think Stanford was obviously in the top five along with Harvard and other Ivy Leagues. I grew up and I caught the games with Coach Harbaugh and the program then, seeing them play USC, UCLA and some of the other Pac-12 programs. My interest grew from there. I obviously kept supporting the team. I remember in seventh grade rocking Stanford shirts to school. Everybody was asking me, 'Why Stanford?' I kept telling them that it was a school I really wanted to go to go just because academically it was obviously one of the best in the country and at that time the football program was doing very well. When the transition from Harbaugh to Shaw occurred, I kept supporting the team and they got better and better and all of a sudden they (grew into) national prominence and became part of the conversation for a national title the last two or three years. That's how everybody else figured out about them, but I guess growing up in Iowa I always had a dream of trying to do something more than just being a kid that would go to Iowa or UNI or Iowa State. I wanted to be the guy that went against the grain and tried something new."

The foundation for that possibly occurring with the Cardinal was laid earlier this year, following Boles' appearance at Stanford's camp last summer.

"Initially after the camp I talked to Lance Anderson and I talked to Coach Hart and they just said if you're really interested in the program stay in touch with us, keep emailing us. That's what I did - I made sure I was holding up my end of the correspondence, and they would get back and relay information to me. I actually started getting some letters from them right before the season started. And then I got a couple of hand-writtens from Coach Anderson in the mail that they sent out to the recruits. He just said thanks for the emails, stay in touch. Basically reassuring me that they're going to handle their end, they just needed to make sure they wrapped up the 2016 class before they really diverted their attention to the 2017 class and got going with that. Eventually Coach Anderson followed me on Twitter - I think it was back in January or February.

"And they said that they really liked my season film and they asked if I was coming to camp (again in the summer of 2016). I said yeah, I'm actually already signed up. They said alright, great, well, we're going to send Coach Turner out to your school for spring evaluation. Coach Turner showed up, stopped in, said hey, as much as he can with the NCAA Regulations and then talked to my coach for a little bit... Coach Turner stopped by and used an evaluation day to come by and check things out."

That's when Stanford extended Boles an invitation to join the Cardinal program as a preferred walk-on.

"They told my coach to tell me that I shouldn't shy away from it because they've had a lot of guys go through the program that have been preferred walk-ons who earn scholarships later on with Craig Jones and David Parry and some of those names, for example," Boles said. "They said that all of those guys get treated the same. They're very excited about potentially having me on the team. They offered me the opportunity and they said that if it's something I genuinely want to pursue I have to make sure it's the right decision for me and follow through on hitting all the marks in terms of admissions and acceptance and all that stuff."

Boles has heeded the Cardinal's advice. He's currently working Stanford's admissions process.

"I talked to Coach Anderson about doing that and pursuing that option," Boles said. "He said that I'm definitely a guy that if I want to do early admission and do the early action date, I can. Right now I'm in the middle of formulating my application and finalizing it and making sure it's in top shape. From there I'll shoot him all of my academic information and my application. So I would like to get accepted... as soon as possible so that way I know that it's a legitimate option for me as well as all the other Ivy League schools that I'm looking at. I'll also apply to Dartmouth, Princeton and Columbia."

Stanford currently occupies a spot on Boles' leaderboard alongside some of the aforementioned Ivy League programs.

"At this point in my recruiting process I'm looking toward more academically-minded institutions," Boles said. "I'm down to Stanford and Dartmouth and then also maybe Princeton or Columbia. Columbia has extended an offer, Dartmouth has extended an offer. Stanford has also extended that preferred walk-on offer. I'm going out to camp next week on Thursday to go out to Princeton and compete for an offer there."

Boles has visited Stanford twice - for camp last summer and camp again last month. He could take a return trip for a game this fall.