Stanford's 2020 class off to a good start

Stanford technically has four commits in the 2020 class -- although only two are listed on Rivals -- and the most recent may not garner big headlines, but it more than adequately addressed a need. Elite kicker Joshua Karty from Elon, North Carolina had several scholarship offers closer to home but committed to his dream school across the country.

Any kicker who gets scholarship offers is a special prospect and that's what Karty is widely regarded to be. On Jan. 5 at the Kohls Kicking National Underclassmen Challenge he nailed a 70-yard field goal. Yes, it was on a tee, he was in shorts and shirtsleeves, and he had all the time he wanted to kick in an almost empty stadium. But 70 yards is a long way to kick a football between two polls that look awfully close together at that distance.

So, Stanford has the No. 1 kicker in the class. On any given Saturday or Sunday football fans witness why it's a great thing to have a kicker the head coach doesn't have to worry about. Karty has the ability to make dramatic moments routine.

There are more reasons to be excited about the start of 2020 recruiting than the addition of Karty, because he might not be the only No. 1 player at his position in the class.

Once Myles Hinton is fully recovered from shoulder surgery he will probably compete in camps during the spring and summer to improve after missing most of his junior season. He has all the physical tools of a future starting left tackle and he's had that job in high school since he started on varsity as a freshman. That season he blocked for five star quarterback Davis Mills, who, of course, is now at Stanford.

Stanford has earned commitments from five-star offensive linemen before. In fact, it's the group the Cardinal have been most successful at whale hunting. But Hinton's decision to head to The Farm was much appreciated by a staff trying to rebuild the position group's pipeline.

Someone else who was probably excited is a former 2018 recruit.

McKee is serving a two-year LDS mission in Brazil and is expected to join the 2020 class at Stanford. Cardinal head coach David Shaw has described McKee as Stanford's only 2020 quarterback.

It's a hotly debated topic among fans that it might be wise for the Cardinal to bring in a second quarterback after not taking one in 2019, and because of concerns about Mills' injury history. There's no reason to think that McKee has doubts about attending Stanford when he's done with his mission, but he'll be playing catch-up after two years with more exposure to futbol than football.

He's almost guaranteed to redshirt because that's Stanford's standard practice for how it develops quarterbacks. But in McKee's case he'll likely need the time away from competitive football. Once he's ready, Cardinal fans should remember that McKee was a highly touted recruit who is much more athletic than his designation as a "pro-style quarterback" suggests.

He gained 1,288 yards rushing on 132 carries during his career at Corona Centennial. He scored 26 touchdowns as a runner.

The Cardinal obviously have not had that type of running ability at the position since Kevin Hogan. Stanford's steep learning curve for quarterbacks is well known, but a fasttrack to the field is the ability to simplify the offense to: "Read No. 1 is a no, so run." It worked for Hogan in 2012.

While McKee was the "first" 2020 commit, the first verbal pledge from a high schooler set to graduate next June shouldn't be forgotten.

Farrell dreamed of playing at Stanford since he was 11, so once he had an offer from the Cardinal his recruitment was over. Farrell starred as a sophomore at Oaks Christian -- one of the top teams in the country -- catching 63 passes for 1,168 yards and nine touchdowns. Last season the Lions relied on Michigan bound running back Zach Charbonnet, a top-50 overall caliber player, to carry the offense.

Farrell's numbers fell to 16 receptions for 288 yards and three touchdowns. While his stats suffered there's no denying his speed, agility and pass-catching ability.

Trying to predict what recruits, or most teenagers, will do best is often a fool's errand. There are number of 2020 recruit Stanford is faring well with, but here are three Cardinal Sports Report wouldn't be surprised to see join the class this spring.

The Stanford legacy probably can't tell you how many times he's been on campus. His offer profile isn't what it should be but schools are probably hesitant because of the assumption he will attend Stanford. Cardinal Sports Report considers that to be a good assumption to bet on.

Humphreys camped at Stanford July 28 to help the talented 2021 quarterbacks in attendance. He's an imposing 6-5 athlete who is graceful and fast for his size, and for someone smaller. He had a spectacular junior season at Corona del Mar: 103 catches for 1,783 yards and 28 touchdowns.

He's a top-100 recruit on another site and it may not be long this spring before he is one on Rivals.

Mullings camped at Stanford in June 2017 and the then 14 year old wowed Cardinal running back coach Ron Gould. It was love at first agility drill. It was clear even then that the sturdy athlete could be great at a couple different positions and Gould had his sights set on making Mullings a bruising back.

The two have stayed in touch ever since and Mullings was planning to visit Stanford this spring even without an offer. One arrived Dec. 19 and Mullings told Cardinal Sports Report that Stanford was written in pen on his top list of schools.

Mullings has visited Penn State, Michigan and other schools several times since his last time on The Farm. His next trip to California could have a major impact on his thinking.

Ransom had a great visit to Stanford July 28, was ecstatic to get an offer and described Stanford as a top school. Since then his offer list went national Notre Dame, USC, Florida and others jumping into the mix.

He has a good relationship with defensive backs coach Duane Akina and stays in consistent contact with Stanford. The Cardinal should be able to get Ransom back on campus this spring and if that visit goes well may be able to take a commanding lead.