Three Positions Stanford Should Target In The Transfer Portal

The transfer portal is set to open in a week and teams across the country will be flooding in to address needs

Author:
Kevin Borba
Publish date:
Nov 27, 2023 5:54 PM EST

In this story:

The transfer portal has already seen a ton of names entered thanks to grad transfers, but the party really gets started on December 4 when the portal is open to all.

It will be pure and utter chaos as there are still players with COVID years, players looking for NIL, and teams needing to revamp their roster. While Stanford will never ever be like Colorado or USC and bring in classes of 20-50 people from the portal, it is still a tool for them to help bolster the roster. They just have to do so in a different manner, and new head coach Troy Taylor has shown the willingness to do so, as he took in six transfers ahead of this season headlined by Syracuse transfer Justin Lamson.

Oct 13, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Justin Lamson (8) celebrates his 1 yard touchdown carry in the third quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports — Stanford QB Justin Lamson
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

For a team like Stanford that finished 3-9 on the year, there are quite a few needs to be addressed, but some stand out more than others. For instance, at quarterback Stanford got some positive play out of Ashton Daniels at times, but even if he isn't the starter next year they have a couple of youngsters that could push for the job. On the other hand, there are positions that stand out as ones that they'd like to add more depth and potential to just based on what they could be losing, or due to poor showings in 2023.

Here are the three positions that Stanford should absolutely be targeting in the portal.

Offensive Line

Nov 12, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; The Stanford Cardinal offense lines up against the Utah Utes defense in the first quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports — Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

It's not easy to find a starting-caliber Power 4 lineman in the portal, but if Stanford can bolster this unit in any way they absolutely should. It's a young group that allowed 41 sacks, which ranked among the nation's worst and they prevented Stanford from running the ball effectively. Now granted a year of experience and development should help this group that started an entire new unit this year, a veteran presence that can contribute right away would also do wonders.

Running Back

Stanford's running back situation for 2024 is fairly murky at the moment. Both E.J. Smith and Casey Filkins are seniors, and their status for next season hasn't been made clear. If they leave, this leaves Stanford with Sedrick Irvin and Ryan Butler as the two leaders in the backfield, with three incoming freshmen joining the fold. If the Cardinal could add another back with experience to provide another option, it would only help this offense even though the run game was ineffective this year. It is typically a staple of Taylor's offense, so he surely would love to have another capable play maker.

Corner

Stanford brought back senior Zahran Manley who wasn't with the team in 2022, which was a quick fix for a team that lost their entire secondary to the NFL or the portal from last year. Heading into 2024, they have Collin Wright and Jshawn Frausto-Ramos who are young defensive backs that shined but could still use more experience as there is a steep drop-off between them and the reserves. 2024 Freshman corner Brandon Nicholson could start right away, but it never ever hurts to have a veteran corner in this modern era of college football.