It's hard to miss Stuart Head on a football field. At 6-foot-4, Head stands out as he scans the field from his perch in the defensive backfield, waiting to dive in to make a play.
On a basketball court it's a bit of a different story. Head is playing his winter sport on the court for the Etowah High Eagles in Woodstock, Georgia, and he laughed at the suggestion he has to dial down his football inclination to seek out contact.
"I’m a pretty tough basketball player," he said. "I’m known for my defense, rebounding and unbelievable screen-setting ability."
Stanford recruited Head to be a safety and he talks to defensive back coach Duane Akina about bringing versatility to the position.
"Any guy that can go in and play a position that’s needed right away is special to him," Head said. "We talk about Dallas Lloyd being the quarterback of the defense. I used to play quarterback. I take that intellectual part to heart when I’m on the field. I feel I can play a position like that and closer to the line of scrimmage, especially with my size and length I’d feel that would be an advantage as well."
The coaches told Head they envision him being able to line up on a tight end and stay with him step-for-step while also matching up physically.
But, for players like Head, just how physical they can be on the field has changed in recent years.
The safety is good friends with fellow Georgian and Stanford quarterback commit Davis Mills. In his state final Mills was sidelined with a knee injury that occurred seconds before he took a hit under the chin that most who watched the play thought should have resulted in a penalty.
That type of play wasn't much different from what once was expected from enforcer-style safeties with Head's strength.
"When I watch football with my family we see bigger athletes that I can compare to myself deliver these huge blows and get flagged for it," he said. "Just because they’re bigger and lay more boom maybe the damage they did was worse than someone smaller. They don’t get flagged for it but a big guy would. Going into college I don’t think I’d be concerned about that. Down the line when I’m getting playing time I’ll probably be cautious about it. We learn how to tackle and I’m sure my coaches will do a good job (teaching) technique and everything."
Highlight videos of high school athletes often feature devastating hits against 150-pound opponents or crack-back "blocks" that get everyone jumping on the supporting sideline. Head's Hudl highlight is noticeably lacking a montage of what ESPN once called "jacked-up" moments.
What is apparent is how important Head was on offense, defense and even special teams for the Eagles, who suffered multiple losses in the final minute of a game. Etowah finished 5-6 with seven games decided by one score, including a 17-14 loss to state runner-up Roswell.
"We all put in so much work," Head said. "It was about bouncing back and playing hard the next week even though we went through a lot of heartbreak. I still had a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun playing with the guys I grew up with. My coaches, teammates and former teammates, they’re all the reason I developed into the player I was going from quarterback to safety as a sophomore. I’ll never forget the memories I have with those guys."
Now Head is ready to make memories at Stanford. It took a lot of work with teachers, his counselor and defensive coordinator Lance Anderson to make it possible to go to The Farm. It was during the Thanksgiving holiday break his junior year that everything was laid out by Anderson that he would have to accomplish academically to get accepted.
"It was definitely worthwhile," Head said. "I would call him (Anderson) periodically and he would give me advice on an application, which was a long process. It took a lot of thinking and a lot of hard work. It really is worth it and I’m glad I got into the best university in the world. I couldn’t have done it without the recommendations of my teachers and the help of my counselor. It’s all going to be worth it. I’m very thankful.
"He’s pretty much proud of how far I’ve come," Head said of Anderson.
Head made sure to give Stanford T-shirts to the teachers who wrote him letters of recommendations.
Head will be at Stanford from Jan. 13-15 for the Big Visit. He's met many of the people who will be there and is "pretty close" with Sione Lund as well as Mills.
The Stanford 2017 class is a small community that stays in touch. But he hasn't seen most of them in person since he visited for the USC game. It was one of the highlight wins in a roller-coaster season for the Cardinal.
Stanford reached a No. 7 ranking before the loss in Seattle started a tumble out of the top-25. The Cardinal have a chance for a top-15 finish after winning six straight games to end the year. But talk of competing for a conference championship and even a playoff spot were dashed earlier in the season than many expected.
Reflecting on his own recent experience with a season that didn't meet preseason expectations, Head said about the idea that 10-3 can be a "down" season at Stanford:
"I’m kind of proud of it. I’m proud of the standard Stanford has built over the years -- the new era of Stanford football. I’m proud to be a part of it. Hopefully we don’t have any quote-unquote down years, but if that standard keeps growing I’m fine with it as long we live up to it."
