Takeaways from Stanford Football's First Press Conference of the Regular Season

Dylan Grausz | Aug 27, 2024

Nov 5, 2021; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal offensive tackle Connor McLaughlin (71) walks out of the tunnel with his teammates for warmups against the Utah Utes at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The first media availability of the regular season is here and with the Stanford Cardinal getting ready to host their first opponent of the season in TCU on Friday night, head coach Troy Taylor, offensive lineman Connor McLaughlin and linebacker Tristan Sinclair were all made available on Monday, where they gave their thoughts on the upcoming game and the season as a whole.

The defense looks to be in really good shape

Last season, the addition of new defensive coordinator Bobby April III combined with the players having to learn a whole new scheme made it hard for Stanford to evolve into a true threat on the defensive side of the ball. But this year, with a lot of guys returning and having a year in the system under their belt as well as pieces being added for depth, the defense ready is to turn the tables in 2024.

“We basically have our whole team back and just added more guys, more depth,” fifth year linebacker Tristan Sinclair said. “I think that the comfortability is way higher than it was last year. The things we’re able to do and being able to add defenses and add more nuance and more checks, more calls within those defenses, it’s been great so far. I think our safeties are making all the calls and checks and adjustments and our secondary as well. So I mean, that honestly has been great so far and we’ll see how it goes in the season.”

A tough schedule awaits Stanford, and for a team that will be facing programs known for having high-powered offenses, particularly schools like Clemson, Notre Dame and Louisville, a defense that oozes confidence and is ready to pounce when called upon could be the boost that the Cardinal football program needs.

Offensive line improvements have been worked on extensively

Struggling to establish an identity last year, the Cardinal were unable to create a potent passing and rushing attack, with the offensive line seeing some growing pains in the new system in 2023. However, with the unit now fully understanding the scheme and knowing what their weaker points were, they were able to address them and have seen some significant improvements throughout camp this season.

“Protection is a lot easier when the run game is going well, so we really honed in on that,” senior offensive lineman Connor McLaughlin said. “And then also fine tuned a lot of things in protection, not just scheme wise, but also mechanics, techniques, really setting firm angles, and trying to work on the things we can do and really get on the same page and streamline our assignments. But yeah, like we said earlier, it’ll be a lot easier when we’re running the ball well.”

A good offense is vitally important in college football, and if the offensive line’s improvements are any indication of what is to come, then the first step towards having a high-powered offense has been taken and the rest will be able to fall into place.

An official starting quarterback has not yet been announced

Despite Ashton Daniels entering camp as the expected starting quarterback after breaking out last year, the performance of the other competing gunslingers has made it hard for Taylor to formally announce a starter heading into week one, instead suggesting that any of them could see action come Friday night, with each of them bringing different skill sets that all come in handy.

“We have three quarterbacks, we haven’t announced who’s going to be the starter, but we’ve got three guys that I really feel comfortable that can play,” Taylor said. “And Justin obviously brings an element in being able to run the ball and a physicality to the short yardage and goal line but Ashton is also a really good runner and Elijah Brown is a guy that is able to get himself out of trouble and get yards too. So, yeah, we feel great about Justin in those situations and we have a number of different elements and things that we can do.”

It is always good to be able to have that one guy who is the unquestioned quarterback and leader of the team, and while the Cardinal may very well have that, the fact that they have multiple candidates who are more than capable of taking on that big role is a testament to just how far the team has come in just one short year.

Some bumps and bruises, but the overall team health heading into week one is looking positive

Training camp is a very long and grueling three weeks, with the players working extra hard to ensure that they are ready for the season. Because of that, injuries and ailments are fairly common. Luckily for Stanford, the team is heading into the first game of the season with pretty much everyone ready for action.

“We’re in pretty good shape,” Taylor said. “Like I said, there’s a couple guys that should be right on the brink of being able to get going this week, so that’s always a good feeling, especially this year, we have more depth so being able to have most of our team ready is huge for us and how we practice and prepare, and then obviously giving us depth for a long season and against a really good TCU team.”

Injuries can test a team’s depth and while Stanford is entering the year loaded up with depth in case guys end up going down, having everyone healthy to start the year is something that is always good for any team to have.

The new transfers are finding their rhythm

Looking to address areas of need, particularly on the defense, the Cardinal did so partially through the transfer portal, landing guys like Jay Green from Washington, Jahsiah Galvan from Northern Iowa and Clay Patterson from Yale with all three of them proving early on exactly why the Cardinal invested in them.

“They’re fitting in really well,” Taylor said. “All three are great character guys that have come in and just quietly worked and proven themselves through their disposition and their work ethic and being team players. So that part has been great and then they bring athleticism, and Clay’s position and instance of great size and physicality. So all three of those guys we’ve been excited about. Obviously, we haven’t had a lot of transfer portal guys around here thus far, but those are three guys that we think are going to really help us this season.”

Getting added help was crucial for Stanford this year, and being able to land three transfers who can make an immediate impact will surely be vital for a team looking to reclaim its former glory and make some serious noise in a brand new conference.