Stanford freshman RB Arlen Harris in the transfer portal
On Monday evening, CardinalSportsReport.com received confirmation that Stanford freshman running back Arlen Harris has entered the transfer portal with the intention to transfer after the fall quarter. Harris has since made an announcement on Twitter. Harris came in as a 3-star recruit from Lutheran of St. Charles High School in St. Peters, Missouri, choosing Stanford over Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Florida, and several other quality programs.
Without going into details, Stanford has done all they can to support Harris during this time. They’ve let him know he’s welcomed back if he changes his mind and that they fully support him.
The intention of Harris to transfer thins out Stanford’s already thin running back room. E.J. Smith is out for the year and Casey Filkins, who took over the top running back spot, is now out as well and isn’t expected to play against UCLA on Saturday, though we’ll see what David Shaw says during his Tuesday press conference. This leaves Stanford with sophomore running back Brendon Barrow and junior running back Caleb Robinson as the best available running backs. At this rate, sophomore running back Danny McFadden might get some touches as well.
Barrow has shown speed this year, especially in the return game and Robinson had a nice run against Arizona State on Saturday, so it’s not like those guys aren’t able to contribute. But, it is imperative for Filkins to return as soon as possible. It’s also important for Stanford to probably focus more on passing until Filkins gets back as the last thing they need is to see an even further thinning of the herd at running back. Otherwise, they may need to start posting flyers around campus for open tryouts.
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