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Before Stanford football ever expressed interest in Illinois defensive tackle and recent Cardinal defensive line commit Wesley Annan, Annan made his interest in Stanford quite clear.

Last spring, before his recruitment really picked up steam, and before Stanford had started its pursuit, Annan was out in the Bay Area visiting a friend, his former high school quarterback Chris Karamanos. The two decided to check out The Farm - only Annan wasn't exactly a VIP guest of the football program at the time.

"The first time I came to Stanford wasn't even for the camp (over summer)," Annan said. "I had loved the school. It was before my recruiting. Chris asked me if I wanted to go see it. We showed up on campus and, like, I had to hop fences to get into the athletic building. I went up to the front office and to the receptionist and asked if I could meet with the coaches. She was like, 'Who the heck are you?" But she said that she really admired me for coming up there and trying to get a hold of somebody. At that time they were in spring ball so they were busy."

"Chris pulled up in front of the campus and he was like what are you doing. I was like, 'No, I'm going to go find the coach right now because I need to get in to this place.'"

A few months later, Annan took another and perhaps more impactful step on his path to a Stanford scholarship offer. In July, he returned to the Bay Area to participate in the Cardinal's Saturday Night Lights camp. His performance caught the attention of Stanford's coaching staff.

"Me and Coach (Morgan) Turner, my recruiting area coach, we've been in contact since the camp," Annan said. "He was just telling me to be patient, that they're still going through the process. They want to make sure they make a right decision. And I understand they offered other d-linemen, but in my mind, and I still believed, that was the place I was going to go and I was willing to wait out and see how things were going. I'll be honest - there were times where I thought there were schools that I should commit to. But I think the patience was the way to go, especially with the recruiting process, I think you should be patient with how you plan out your recruiting."

Annan's patience was eventually rewarded. On Monday night, he picked up a Stanford offer.

"Coach Turner called me (Monday) night," Annan said. "He asked what I was doing and how I was doing. I kind of felt it (that they might be offering) but I didn't really know what to say. When he told me that they were going to give me a spot at Stanford, I was stunned. I didn't really have the words. I just said, 'Thank you.' That was really all I could say."

"I called my parents like automatically. There are a lot of mentors in my life that I called almost immediately... I sat down and talked to my family about what we should do. (When we talked) like a long time ago (the conversation was) that's the place you're going to go. If they offer it's almost as if you don't have to hesitate. I still hesitated but at the end of the day, at the end of that night, I think my mind and my heart knew what would help me and 40 years from now what decision is going to help me and benefit me... and take care of my family and take care of my life and my future."

It didn't take Annan long to make up his mind. He called Stanford head coach David Shaw later Monday night to make his commitment.

"I called Coach Turner. I just told him, 'I'm ready,'" Annan said. "He said, 'That's

awesome, call Coach Shaw.' Coach Shaw had actually gone to speak at his radio show but I called him like five times because I was just too excited. I finally got him on the phone and I told him that I was ready to commit and be a Cardinal. He said, 'That's awesome,' and he thanked me again for waiting and being patient."

Annan plans to return to Stanford in January for the Cardinal's official visit. He's not 100 percent sure where, exactly, Stanford projects him to play along the defensive line, though he suspects it might at nose tackle.

"I know that a lot of the coaches are recruiting me as an interior lineman," Annan said. "Four-front teams are recruiting me as a three technique or nose guard. Three-front teams recruiting me as a nose guard. I could play across the line. So I'm fine with whatever they put me at."