Family ties brought sophomore Logan Fano to Stanford for visit

Logan Fano is a sophomore at Utah power Timpview and initially his visit to Stanford for the Utah game was to only support his cousin, redshirt freshman Gabe Reid. The Cardinal coaches heard Fano was coming and decided to make it an unofficial visit for the athlete with offers from Utah, BYU, Utah State and Arizona State.

"It was crazy," he laughed when asked about seeing the campus. "The school is huge and so much bigger than what I thought it would be."

The day of the game Fano and his family toured the football facilities and the rest of the campus. Then they watched Reid and the Cardinal play the Utes. Even though Stanford lost the Fanos enjoyed what they saw from Reid: "He's balling out right now", Fano said.

"He loves it," Fano said of Reid's time at Stanford. "I got a chance to drive around with him after the game. He told me it's great to go to Stanford because people know it as a school for scholars, but at the same time the athletics are great. It's a blessing to be able to do both."

What Reid has relayed to Fano fits well into how he has been raised to prioritize education.

"For me and my family it's all about student before the athlete. When you go to Stanford ... whether you play sports or not you're going to graduate with a Stanford degree, which is crazy. And on top of that you get to do what you love, which for me is to play football. If I get to do both that's a tremendous blessing."

Fano told Cardinal Sports Report that he talks to Utah and BYU "all the time". According to Fano, college coaches like his combination of speed and length off the edge.

He actually committed to BYU before he started high school but since has re-opened his recruitment. He injured his knee during the offseason and won't play his sophomore season.

"Since I have offers I feel fortunate that I haven't had to stress about it. Right now I'm focused on living up to that -- working hard in the classroom, on the field. I don't have to worry about whether schools are looking at me or not because I already have those offers. I can give all of myself to the weight room and the classroom."

Fano said the visit makes him even more excited about the prospect of talking with Stanford's coaches in the future.