Stanford's defensive backfield could be an issue
Are the Stanford Cardinal in trouble with their defensive secondary? Based on the amount of talent they lost at the group, it seems like it could be an issue.
ESPN's Chantel Jennings recently looked at all of the Pac-12 North secondaries and concluded that Stanford's secondary is in "wait and see" mode. Here are her full comments below:
"The Cardinal secondary coach told ESPN.com this spring that the defensive backs are "growing up, slowly but surely. They're starting to know what to do. They're not brand new anymore." Correct. They're not brand new but they're still new-new, like a car that's two months old so it still smells like the dealership but there are plenty of gum wrappers and gas receipts in the cup holders.
Added this summer to the Stanford secondary losses was Zach Hoffpauir, who chose baseball over football and signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kodi Whitfield and Dallas Lloyd, both transplants from the offensive side of the ball, seem to be Stanford's best hope at safety. Elsewhere, Stanford will be relying on players such as Ronnie Harris, Terrence Alexander, Alijah Holder, Alameen Murphy and Taijuan Thomas. And of those five only Harris and Alexander have game experience. With the influx of talent from Brennan Scarlett, this'll be a year when Stanford will need the defensive line to over perform so that it's secondary doesn't get tested too much. Because at that point, it's anyone's guess as to what happens."
(h/t ESPN)
Photo Credit: Rick Scuteri - AP Photo