Gaethan Bernadel viewed as one of On3's the best 10 transfer commitments of the week
When Troy Taylor accepted the head coaching job at Stanford many outsiders looked at how depleted the roster was and assumed that nothing could be done this offseason to bolster it.
Stanford, unlike many schools around the country is unable to just freely take any and every transfer available. This led many to believe that it just wasn't in the cards for the program fighting to regain its relevancy, but Taylor has hit the ground running when it comes to the transfer portal.
Stanford has landed two transfers in his short tenure as the head coach, and is in the mix for a couple others like Harvard lineman Alec Bank and recent offer John Paul Flores out of Virginia. The first transfer that they landed, FIU linebacker Gaethan Bernadel, is one that has resonated nationally. On3 went as far to rank him committing to Stanford as one of their 10 best transfer commitments of the week saying:
Gaethan Bernadel (6 feet 1, 210 pounds) led FIU this season with 103 tackles, sixth-most in Conference USA (FIU played 12 games; every player ahead of him played in a bowl and three of them played in 14 games). He also was second on the Panthers with eight tackles for loss. While he is a talented player who definitely will help a depleted Cardinal linebacker corps, he’s on this list for another reason as well: He is the first undergrad transfer in Stanford football history. Stanford has adapted a bit with a new coach, and while you shouldn’t expect to see the school accept a flood of transfers, the mere fact that it has accepted one (and presumably will bring in a few more) is a big deal. Bernadel, who was an honorable mention All-Conference-USA selection, has two seasons’ eligibility remaining.
He does in fact add some much need experience and production to a defense that has been ransacked of majority of its starters by the transfer portal. I expect the Cardinal to make a few more moves in the portal as well.