Stanford football has landed a commitment from 2026 3-star safety Zaiden McDonald out of Malcolm X Shabazz High School in Newark, New Jersey. McDonald was previously committed to Syracuse, but after taking an official visit to The Farm the weekend of May 30th, he decided to flip his pledge to the Cardinal. In addition to Syracuse, McDonald also held offers from Wisconsin, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Temple, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Ohio State, Northwestern, North Carolina, Maryland, Illinois, Duke, Connecticut, Boston College, and a few other schools.
Rated as a high 3-star with a 5.7 Rivals rating, McDonald is listed at 6’1”, 182 pounds. He’s got nice speed and agility, which should serve him well as a safety. He’s played running back as well, so he should have a good feel for what running backs like to do and what their tendencies are. That’s something that should give him an advantage. He’s also got good hands, so he should be able to snag a good amount of interceptions when given the opportunity.
Something that is cool for McDonald is he is reuniting with former Shabazz teammate Omari Gaines, who is a freshman safety at Stanford. The chance to play with Gaines and be in the same safety room as him is something that is certain to be exciting for him.
All in all, Zaiden McDonald is a nice pick up for Stanford’s defense and secondary. It’ll be fun to see what he brings to the program and how quickly he adjusts to the college level upon arrival.
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