2018 Introduction: Sal Spina
Stanford has thus far extended offers to only two players in the 2018 recruiting class - Alabama QB Jack West and California WR Amon-Ra St. Brown - but the Cardinal is actively evaluating other sophomores. Among those recruits is St. John Bosco defensive lineman Sal Spina.
A pair of Cardinal coaches recently visited Spina's high school to watch him work out.
"My dad has had a lot more interaction with them than I have because I'm only a sophomore - I can't really talk to them," Spina said. "But basically I've been told that they have one spot for a defensive tackle in my class and they're looking at me. And they want me to come up to camp. They came down to St. John Bosco the other day and watched me work out and I said hello to the d-line coach and the defensive coordinator."
Spina does plan to visit The Farm for camp this summer. The trip will be his first in a recruiting capacity to Stanford. (A number of years ago he did see the campus.)
"They're a very unique place in that they have the best of both going on," Spina said. "They finished top-10 in the NCAA and their academics are top-10, which are two very important things to me. I would want to got to a school that's very academically driven, so seeing a place like that is kind of special for me."
Fresno State is currently Spina's sole offer. But a number of programs have expressed interest, including UCLA, Oregon, Texas A&M and Boston College.
Spina doesn't have a particular school or set of schools that were considered a dream program in his youth. But he is eager to have options as the recruiting process progresses.
"My dream is honestly just to have options, to get to choose where I want to go," Spina said. "All of the schools that I can hear from and I can talk to, that's ideal for me. Being able to talk to a lot of schools so I can find what I really like and I can find a school that really fits me (would be ideal)."
In addition to Stanford, Spina plans to visit Cal and Fresno State. He might also take a return trip to Washington and check out San Diego State and UNLV.
An offer from the Cardinal would make a significant impression in his recruitment.
"I think that would be huge for me, honestly," Spina said. "That would really put me in a really good spot, I think. I would be thrilled if that happened."
In general, Spina hopes to find a program that offers a strong balance of academics and football.
"The No. 1 factor, I just want a place where I can thrive in both areas of my life," Spina said. "Because obviously everyone always says that football ends for everyone at some point. To get to a very academic school would be crucial for me... (Also), I want to be the best football player that I can be. That's why I went to Bosco, because I wanted to find out just how good I could be. So I want to have the same mentality going to college. I want to find out just how good my potential is. Those two factors are the most important for me, I would say."