Stanford offers 2021 cornerback Raider Damuni

Raider Damuni knew that a Stanford offer could come late in his recruiting process and he needed to be patient. Current Stanford linebacker Levani Damuni is Raider's cousin and Levani wasn't offered by Stanford until November of his senior year.

Stanford offered Raider Friday night.

"It feels great!", Damuni said in a message to Cardinal Sports Report. (I've) been in contact with them for a very long time now, so it’s a blessing that they pulled the trigger!

"It definitely has me considering my options! I’ve been in contact with them almost every week, I talk to Coach (Duane) Akina and Coach (Lance) Anderson a lot."

Raider has been committed to BYU since Jan. 31, 2017 and his father, Jack, works on the Cougars' recruiting staff. He plans to go on an LDS mission after high school, which effectively makes him Stanford's first offer for 2023.

Damuni visited Stanford last year during a junior day in that long ago time before COVID-19. After the visit he described what the highlights were for him:

"I was very impressed with the academics of the school and the networking that they have established through out the world. Also I noticed that the professors really want the athletes to succeed as well. I was also impressed that even though they have top notch academics, Stanford is always in the race for being a national contender. The campus is probably the nicest I have seen."

Damuni has reported offers this year from Arizona, Oregon, Utah and Oregon State. Wisconsin and Washington State offered last year. His strong ties to BYU, and his plan to go on a mission, have probably deterred schools from trying to convince the talented defensive back to flip.

He had six interceptions his junior season and returned three for touchdowns. He returned two kicks for touchdowns and had 40 tackles.

According to Damuni, Stanford wants to schedule a Zoom call with his family soon. Damuni expects to get his application soon and if he's admitted then he acknowledges that he'll have to think carefully about what to do.

"Definitely a school like Stanford with all the opportunities after football would make the decision harder. You get the best of both worlds at Stanford."