Boles turns dream into reality, will join Stanford football as walk-on

Dylan Boles of Van Meter, Iowa is a noteworthy member of Stanford's 2017 walk-on class for several reasons: He was pursued at times in his recruitment by programs willing to offer him a scholarship and he grew up a passionate fan of the Cardinal.

For many Stanford fans it is only recent history in which the Cardinal rose from the darkness of a 1-11 season to reach the elite status of one-loss seasons. The Toby-Gerhart fueled success of 2009 sparked a wave of fandom in young grade-school students across the country, sweeping up Boles along the way.

Boles -- who is listed at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds -- tested himself at Stanford camps the past two summers. The defensive lineman's work caught the attention of the Stanford coaching staff, who started recruiting him for a preferred walk-on spot.

Few incoming athletes have to flip a switch from fan who cheered on the Cardinal to a member of the program.

"Obviously, it's for real now," he said. "I need to be a guy that is ready and willing to contribute. I need to follow through with everything that is expected of me. Now I have the opportunity to make an impact and be a part of the program instead of just spectating.

"Looking at the rise of the program makes me really appreciate what the program was and who the men were who came through and revolutionized things. Ultimately what it took to get the program to where it is today just makes you really appreciate what has happened."

It seemed only a matter of time that Boles would choose to commit as a preferred walk-on after he was admitted, despite offers from Navy, Army, Air Force, East Carolina, multiple Ivies and several top FCS programs.

Yale and the University of Pennsylvania were the two other members of Boles' final three as he searched for any challengers that could top what Stanford offered.

"Stanford has the people and the academic prowess that quite honestly are unmatched across the nation," he said. "And at the end of the day you're playing nationally competitive football. And you do have that family aspect where there is no difference from what area you're from, what race or ethnicity you are or whether you are a walk-on or a scholarship guy. It's essentially a very welcoming environment. At the end of the day it reaffirmed my decision to attend Stanford University."

Boles' appreciation of recent Stanford history includes an admiration for the walk-ons who have come before him, and who distinguished themselves on the field. He named David Parry (a fellow Iowan), Jeff Trojan and Craig Jones as players he recognizes as role models for what it takes to play on Saturdays (and the occasional Thursday or Friday).

And Parry played a role in helping Boles get the attention of the staff while also showing Boles the quality of the coaches and players in the locker room.

Boles' first aim is to be the best teammate possible and helping on the scout team while working as hard as possible to improve to the point that he can contribute on game day.

"You want to help your teammates be the best they can be, but you also want to be the best you can be," he said. "That's going to require competing against those guys, and ultimately competition builds excellence. If I need to be a scout team guy and I need to go up against guys -- go 100% and give maximum effort. If you give 100% maximum effort eventually it's going to prepare us both. I'm confident I can be a guy that Coach (Diron) Reynolds or Coach (Lance) Anderson believes can get out there."

Boles embraces the fact that when he arrives on The Farm he will be competing against older, more talented players, but he expects his work ethic to give him a fighting chance. He showed that trait in the small-town Iowa football that is easy to miss for those outside of the state, but is intense business for those who strap on the pads as friends who have known each other for years.

And for Boles it was a family affair.

At Van Meter, Dylan was able to play his senior year with his bother Sean, a junior, and Ryan, a freshman, also on varsity. Van Meter won a state title after losing in the semifinals the previous three years. Dylan was a leader on the team and his improvement since the summer camp at Stanford was significant, he said.

"I developed a lot more physically since that camp," Boles said. "I think the camp was vital in terms of learning technique ... and that obviously translated to my senior year. But as coaches at other programs have said I'm nowhere close to my ceiling. I had a great high school career but I know going to the college level is going to require a lot more development overall."