Stanford Lands Three Commits, Two from Gilman in Maryland
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
The Stanford football staff is keeping with a long treasured sports theme, finish strong. On Saturday, the Cardinal did just that landing three verbal commits bumping up their class to 24 players. Showing that Stanford has no recruiting boundaries, they went across the country to land three east coast players; RB Dorian Maddox, OT Devery Hamilton, and WR Donald Stewart.
When Hamilton and Maddox reach Palo Alto no introductions will be needed. The high school teammates are well aware of one another with the big tackle helping open up holes for his talented running back at Gilman. Gilman went 10-1 in 2015 earning their stripes as one of the top teams in the state of Maryland.
Maddox was a two-way player for the Baltimore squad but will take his rugged style of play to the offensive side of the ball. Maddox was an under the radar recruit on the Power Five Conference scene but had reported offers from Air Force, Charlotte, Harvard, Cornell, Navy, Yale, and Holy Cross among others.
Hamilton, a 4-star recruit, was pushing double-digit offers before landing with Stanford. LSU, Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State, West Virginia, Northwestern, Michigan, Kentucky, Clemson, and Michigan State were all clamoring for his commitment. In a double-odd twist for Jim Harbaugh, Hamilton flipped his June 24 commitment from Michigan to Stanford, his old employer and on the heels of several scholarship offer pulls from verbal commitments.
Stewart, listed at 6’3”, 190 pounds, gives Stanford a possession and red zone receiver to pair with Paxton Segina and Simi Fehoko. The Paramus Catholic (NJ) talent was yet another win for David Shaw over Harbaugh. Michigan was pushing hard for Stewart getting an official to Ann Harbor on Jan. 22 after seeing Palo Alto on Jan. 15. Stewart was also pushing 20 offers before pulling the trigger on the Cardinal. Other teams to extend offers included Ole Miss, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, Boston College, UConn, Illinois, Maryland, Washington State, and Vanderbilt.
Stanford’s 2016 class is well rounded and full of talent heading into the Feb. 3 National Signing Day. One spot remains open for the best available prospect if the Cardinal wants to take a full class.
2016 Stanford Commitment List (24)
QB K.J. Costello, 6’4”, 218 lbs, Santa Margarita Catholic, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
RB Dorian Maddox, 5’11”, 205 lbs, Gilman HS, Baltimore, MD
RB Trevor Speights, 5’10”, 200 lbs, Memorial HS, McAllen, TX
TE Scotter Harrington, 6’5”, 235 lbs, Greenwich HS, Greenwich, CT
TE Loa Kaufusi, 6’4”, 205 lbs, East HS, Salt Lake City, UT
TE Kaden Smith, 6’5”, 233 lbs, Marcus High School, Flower Mound, TX
WR Simi Fehoko, 6’3”, 195 lbs, Brighton HS, Salt Lake City, UT
WR Paxton Segina, 6’4”, 200 lbs, Vandegrift HS, Austin, TX
WR Donald Stewart, 6’3”, 190 lbs, Paramus Catholic, Paramus, NJ
OT Devery Hamilton, 6’6”, 290 lbs, Gilman HS, Baltimore, MD
OT Henry Hattis, 6’6”, 265 lbs, Cleveland HS, Rio Rancho, NM
OG Nate Herbig, 6’4”, 320 lbs, St. Louis HS, Honolulu, HI
OT Clark Yarbrough, 6’6”, 270 lbs, Woodberry Forest, Woodberry Forest, VA
CB Treyjohn Butler, 5’11”, 190 lbs, Etiwanda HS, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
CB Obi Eboh, 6’2”, 190 lbs, Southlake HS, Southlake, TX
SS Malik Antoine, 5’11”, 185 lbs, Univ. Lab HS, Baton Rouge, LA
DT Bo Peek, 6’3”, 290 lbs, Berkeley Prep, Tampa, FL
DT Jovan Swann, 6’3”, 265 lbs, Center Grove HS, Greenwood, IN
DT Michael Williams, 6’2”, 300 lbs, All Saints Episcopal, Fort Worth, TX
DE Thomas Schaffer, 6’7”, 260 lbs, Lake Forest Academy, Lake Forest, IL
LB/RB Bailey McElwain, 6’0”, 227 lbs, Hewitt Trussville HS, Trussville, AL
LB Curtis Robinson, 6’3”, 205 lbs, Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana, CA
P/K Jet Toner, 6’3”, 185 lbs, Punahou High School, Honolulu, HI
LS Richard McNitzky, 6’0”, 210 lbs, MacArthur HS, San Antonio, TX
Photo credit: northjersey.com; Donald Stewart breaks free for the Paladins.