When Brandon Kaho and his family arrived at Stanford, the Reno, Nevada, native half-jokingly said he thought they’d driven into a park or forest instead of the campus. But any thought of being lost was soon replaced with a feeling that he’d fit in as a Cardinal on and off the field.

“I think me and Coach (Lance) Anderson have a really good relationship,” he said. “That’s what I like most about it, the relationship I have with the coaches. We really clicked. I felt comfortable with them and I can talk to them about anything.

“That’s really what I took from the visit, and how important education was to them. It made me want to be better when I came home. It made me want to take things more seriously and dominate with the books. I’m very thankful I got to experience that from my visit.”

Kaho said he still considers himself a verbal commit to BYU, but he put Stanford in his top three “for sure” as he works out visits to other schools.

The groundwork of his relationship with the Stanford coaches -- notably Pete Alamar, Peter Hansen and Anderson -- started months ago. He has been in consistent contact with those coaches, who he said are always texting to check in on school and offer support.

“I was shocked when Stanford called and offered me,” Kaho said. “I was mind blown. I was very fortunate for that opportunity.”

Someone who was just as excited as Brandon was his father, Hopate. His enthusiasm reached a humorous level, at least for Brandon as he watched his mom, Lusi, become exasperated by the constant Cardinal chatter.

“It’s funny because before the visit my mom would get annoyed about my dad talking about Stanford, Stanford, Stanford,” Brandon said. “My mom would be like, ‘Ok, we get it. We understand.’ My dad was like, ‘You’re not going to understand until you go see the place.’ My mom was like, ‘All right, whatever.’

“Right when we get to the campus my mom fell in love with Stanford. Now it’s funny because she’s all for Stanford. My dad keeps telling me, ‘You’re not going to get anything better than Stanford.’ I think that’s another plus for me and Stanford.”

A positive on the football side of the equation was how easy it was for Kaho to project himself into Stanford’s schemes.

He was excited to see how similar the video he watched of the Stanford outside linebackers was to what he’s asked to do at Reno High. Stanford has talked to him about playing either inside or outside linebacker.

Kaho said there was a good-natured argument between Hansen and Anderson about which position meeting he would join to watch video. Kaho chose the outside linebackers, and Anderson allowed an eager Hopate to watch with his son.

While his future position in college is up in the air, when he will arrive -- whether at BYU, Stanford, or anywhere else -- is to be determined as well. He has not decided if he will take an LDS mission, but he left Stanford confident the Cardinal coaches would support whatever he wanted to do.

Kaho and his father talked with head coach David Shaw about it, and Shaw explained his view.

“He said he loves the mission because some guys are not ready for college right out of high school,” Kaho said. “When they go on their mission and come back they’re more mature. He likes it because when we leave for two years we miss the game of football. When we come back we look at it a different way and don’t take it for granted. You’re more grateful for the opportunity to play football. That’s a big thing for me.”

Kaho also had a chance to ask Sean Barton and Brandon Fanaika about their decisions to go on a mission and their experiences. The decision of making a two-year commitment can leave some people torn about what is in their best interest, but Fanaika and Barton offered reassurance.

“They both said whatever I decide God will love me no matter what,” he said. “They said if I go on a mission I won’t regret it all. Barton said he wasn’t sure he wanted to go on a mission, but he knew there was something about the mission that he wanted to do. He went and came back and said it was one of the best decisions of his life. He did not regret it one bit.”