Football inks 12 recruits on National Signing Day

Twelve high-school seniors signed National Letters of Intent to join the Stanford football on Wednesday morning. Just a year after the Cardinal was a big winner on National Signing Day in 2012, the proceedings were far from dramatic this time around, as Stanford signed all its committed recruits and failed to lure four-star receiver Jordan Cunningham away from Vanderbilt.

As the Cardinal only graduated a handful of seniors and got several current players to sign on for a fifth year, the 2013 recruiting class is one of the smallest in the nation and, as a result, middles in most recruiting rankings. But it includes four-star quarterback Ryan Burns, receiver Francis Owusu and linebacker Peter Kalambayi, as well as defensive back Sean Barton, who will take two years off for an LDS mission in Africa before enrolling.

Stanford’s haul also includes three-star tight ends Austin Hooper, Eric Cotton and Greg Taboada, who will look to fill the void left by the departed Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo.

—Joseph Beyda