Ungar's commitment keeps Cardinal rolling on offense

Stanford's 2020 class is ranked No. 12 by Rivals after the commitment Thursday by four star tight end Lukas Ungar (Morristown, New Jersey). It would be even better if the ranking included Tanner McKee, a top-100 overall quarterback from the 2018 class who is in his second year of an LDS mission in Brazil.

Ungar committed to Stanford over finalists Michigan, Penn State, Georgia and Clemson. Penn State in particular seemed to make a major effort to sway Ungar, hosting him for three visits. He joins Myles Hinton, John Humphreys, Bryce Farrell, No. 1 kicker Joshua Karty and McKee in the 2020 class that's loaded on the offensive side of the ball. Tobin Phillips is the lone defender committed.

Ungar's lone trip to The Farm was last June when he traveled across the country to earn an offer at camp. He also attended a junior day and was eventually awarded the first tight end offer for the class.

Stanford's reputation for developing tight ends was a major factor that helped the Cardinal overcome the distance from home and the pursuit of several recruiting superpowers. Ungar's quote from about eight months ago still tells the story:

"My favorite part of the Junior Day was seeing the campus and spending time with the coaching staff," he said. "I already knew that Stanford was a beautiful campus with great student-athlete opportunities, and my visit definitely confirmed that. Also, Stanford is known for developing tight ends, which is important to me because I would like to play in the NFL."

Ungar told Cardinal Sports Report several times when asked about visiting again that he felt strongly that the first visit showed him everything he needed to see. He clearly meant it, whereas some recruits use that phrase as a kind way of saying they don't want to visit again.

Ungar's commitment gives Stanford three commits in the class who were likely the top name on the board at their position, along with Hinton at offensive tackle and Karty at kicker.

Whenever you can land your top target it's an added reason to celebrate. His head coach at Delbarton is Brian Bowers, who is a former tight end, said this about Ungar after Stanford offered:

"He’s a three-sport athlete and that’s one of the things that jumps out at you. He plays basketball, lacrosse and football. He really is competing year round, which we love at Delbarton. Even though he plays three sports, he does have natural strength. He’s good in the weight room, but he really hasn’t parked himself in there for an extended period of time. You look at his upside, it’s tremendous."

Stanford is checking the boxes for a class of impact talent on offense. No. 1 is a quarterback -- check, and more on that later. No. 1A is an elite left tackle -- check. No. 2 are playmakers in the passing game -- check, and with more to come.

McKee is a former four star and is a mobile athlete at quarterback who can make plays running the ball as well. Hinton has the physical ability to compete for the right tackle spot the moment he arrives (assuming by then Foster Sarell is at left tackle after Walker Little goes to the NFL) and then transition to the blind side. And Humphreys, Ungar and Farrell are an exciting start to a group of pass catchers to make life easier for a quarterback.

Stanford has also decided to pursue another quarterback who will arrive as a freshman next June. The preference is for a dual-threat prospect, but the Cardinal are willing to taking a more traditional pro-style passer. That opens the door for a recruit such as Jay Butterfield.

Butterfield's father, Mark, played at Stanford and he has visited twice in the past year. But both times were when Stanford was unsure how they were going to proceed with quarterback recruiting. Now Butterfield tells Cardinal Sports Report that he's interested to see how his next visit April 6 may feel different because it's more likely he could be offered, at some point.

That junior day weekend may also include Texas running back EJ Smith, who is scheduled to visit.

Smith is Stanford's most recent offer at running back and the Cardinal are reportedly doing well with the son of NFL Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith. Stanford already is in a good spot with another Rivals Top 100 athlete, Kalel Mullings, who the Cardinal hope will team up with Smith to form a powerful duo at the position.

Another reason that weekend may be exciting on the recruiting front is that center/guard prospect Drake Metcalf is scheduled to be there and is ecstatic about the visit. If Metcalf commits to Stanford he can throw his considerable charisma and enthusiasm into the recruiting effort.

Imposing tackle prospect Tosh Baker also is scheduled to visit that weekend. He reports a 4.0 GPA and will likely see the good fit off the field at Stanford. It matters tremendously for a recruit to also feel that he's joining a talented class. Ungar's commitment a little more than a week before the junior day weekend reinforces that positive momentum.