Stanford's front seven recruiting for the 2019 class may have been wrapped up Wednesday morning. Bergen Catholic edge defender Aeneas DiCosmo made his commitment to Stanford public with a high-quality video.
DiCosmo's senior season ended prematurely due to an ankle injury he suffered in a game Sept. 22. The senior wasn't able to show on the field during the full course of a season why schools such as Michigan, Notre Dame and others tried hard to sway DiCosmo away from his dream school.
It's tough to change a goal someone has held since they were a young boy. And it's rare for a young man to be able to follow through on such a dream.
"Aeneas was dead set on going to Stanford since 3rd grade," his father, Anthony, messaged Cardinal Sports Report. "That’s so real and so mind blowing. He always had this will to compete and be the best. Some guys are just hardwired that way. He has it. He’s committed to the idea of being the hardest working player on the field, and matches that will in learning in the classroom. Whatever challenge we put in front of him, he’s always bought in and taken it on. It’s awesome to see a hard working, blue collar guy win in the end. It’s just an amazing story about a really good kid that took advantage of every opportunity he’s been given. Watching his dream materialize has been nothing short of awesome.
Stanford offered DiCosmo March 16 and immediately moved to the top of his list of schools. The only potential issue was that for several months Stanford recruited DiCosmo to play inside linebacker on The Farm, a position he's never played but where the Cardinal thought he could excel. DiCosmo's preference to play outside opened a small window for other schools, one that Stanford head coach David Shaw slammed shut in July when he told DiCosmo in a phone call that the offer was changed to outside linebacker.
That final piece fit to complete a perfect picture.
"We visited 15 schools," Anthony said. "On his two visits to Stanford, he just looked like he found his tribe, and nothing was going to stop him from being there."
DiCosmo's commitment gives Stanford five linebackers/edge defenders in the class: Tristan Sinclair (ILB), Levani Damuni (LDS missionary, ILB), Stephen Herron (OLB) and Josh Pakola (OLB/DE).
DiCosmo used his athleticism and speed to beat bigger opponents with his hand in the ground. Bergen Catholic plays one of the toughest schedules in the country and the level of competition and coaching within the program is among the best. DiCosmo doesn't give up on plays, so it's not unusual to see him track down the play from behind.
Stanford is trying to correct a slump in its pass rush the past couple seasons. It was a focus for the 2019 class, and when the incoming freshmen are paired with the current freshmen that group will feature a number of athletes who have the potential to take down quarterbacks.
Stanford played two true freshmen on the defensive line this year (Thomas Booker and Andres Fox). Caleb Kelly, Loa Kaufusi and Tobe Umerah redshirted this season. Kaufusi showed a lot of progress and surprised defensive coordinator Lance Anderson because of how well performed in practice after a two-year LDS mission.
Inside linebackers Jacob Mangum Farrar and Ricky Miezan also got positive reviews during their redshirt season. Their athleticism isn't in doubt and the main question with them seems to be how quickly they can learn the playbook. Then it's a matter of getting experience and learning from it.
