Five star recruits do not grow on trees for Stanford. When Walker Little chose The Farm the decision had historic significance and dramatically changed the Cardinal's depth chart for next season.

In Rivals.com history -- which coincided with a new era of recruiting exposure - six five-star recruits have signed with Stanford: Trent Edwards, Andrus Peat, Aziz Shittu, Kyle Murphy, Trent Irwin and Curtis Robinson. Little and and No. 1 2017 quarterback Davis Mills would be No. 7 and No. 8.

What should be readily apparent from that list is the program's success with recruits of that caliber since the breakthrough 2012 class. Joining Edwards in 2002 was defensive end Julian Jenkins, a five-star talent according to at least one publication, but then a long drought occurred during the dark times on The Farm.

Now Stanford has Mills, Little and is in serious contention for No. 3 overall recruit Foster Sarell. That is a combination that Edwards would have loved to see, and a powerful message about the state of the program as the Cardinal show they have the ability to stack talent at crucial positions.

Little is rated as the No. 6 offensive tackle and No. 25 overall recruit by Rivals. He is considered by some to be as talented as the No. 2 overall prospect in the country. He joins Mills and Colby Parkinson -- the No. 2 Rivals tight end and No. 1 and a five star elsewhere -- to form a trio that could hold a lofty place in recent recruiting history.

Pairing one of the best quarterbacks and tackles together in a class is not uncommon. But Notre Dame came closest in 2007, according to Rivals, to achieving what Stanford is set to do. The Fighting Irish's class included No. 1 overall recruit Jimmy Clausen, Mike Ragone (No. 3 tight end, No. 83 overall) and Matt Romine (No. 3 tackle and No. 55 overall).

But Little's and Parkinson's overall rankings sink the competition when comparing position rankings of past years. No matter how you look at it, or which recruiting service you use, Stanford has potential for a historical class that could reach even loftier heights with a commitment from Sarell.

Assuming the current admitted commits sign with Stanford, the arrival of Little will add an imposing player to the offensive line competition as offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren works to fit everyone together.

Nate Herbig's spectacular freshman season has rooted him to one guard spot. Jesse Burkett appears to have center locked down even as he and Stanford's quarterbacks work on occasional snap problems. Brandon Fanaika likely leads for the other guard spot, but it could be open to more competition, including from the versatile David Bright.

Casey Tucker started the 2016 season at left tackle, a move many considered a natural progression from right tackle after the departure of Kyle Murphy. But Tucker was moved back to the right side when the staff said it was his more comfortable position.

Bright and AT Hall both spent time at left tackle, which produced mixed results over the course of the rest of the season. Bright also spent time at right tackle in place of an injured Tucker.

Ryan Burns and Keller Chryst were under much more duress than Stanford coaches and fans were accustomed to seeing. Little may be a solution at tackle, but the prospect of adding the talented Texan to the mix shouldn't cause Stanford to forget about the development of Devery Hamilton and Clark Yarbrough.

Of the redshirting freshmen tackles, Hamilton has generally been considered the most likely to step into a greater role during his second year in the program. If Hamilton is ready to take on a starting job next year then the field becomes even more crowded in the best possible way for Stanford.

In that scenario, Yarbrough would join Henry Hattis, Brian Chaffin, Nick Wilson, Dylan Powell and Austin Maihen competing for Ogre spots. Given his future at center -- one Stanford believes can be a very successful one -- Drew Dalman likely will redshirt.

Little said during an interview Friday that it appealed to him that Stanford uses extra linemen as a way to get on the field even if you're not one the starting five. He clearly isn't taking it for granted that he will start right away despite his considerable talent.

Whoever is unable to win either of the tackle jobs out of Hamilton, Tucker, Little, Hall and Bright will be added to the options for a monstrous Ogre formation.