Kole Briehler will add a dominant presence to the Stanford football defense

A star defensive tackle in high school, Briehler will look to be a key depth piece for Stanford and help the defense reach new heights.

Oct 19, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; A goal line pylon displays the Stanford Cardinal and Atlantic Coast Conference logos during the fourth quarter against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

National signing day is a defining moment for any college program. During this time, teams can finally get players that they have been spending a lot of time recruiting to put pen to paper and officially commit to being a part of the program.

In the case of the Stanford Cardinal, 19 new players opted to begin their college careers on The Farm and be a part of the mission to bring the football team back to national prominence. For new signee Kole Briehler, his addition to the defensive line could make all the difference in the world.

Rated a three-star prospect out of the Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey, Briehler has developed the reputation of being a wrecking ball type player, whose motor never stops running, and figures to provide even more depth to a defensive line that was middle of the pack at getting to the quarterback, but one of the better run stopping teams in the nation.

Receiving offers from other notables schools such as Oklahoma, Boston College, Florida, Indiana, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, among others, Briehler chose instead to come to The Farm, where he will not only have the chance to showcase his talents on the football field, but will also get one of the best, if not the best, education in the country.

Standing at six-foot-two, 275 pounds, Briehler brings good size for an ACC lineman and is very good at flying around and making sure that he is all over the field whenever he is out there, putting that on full display as a prep player.

In his senior season of high school, Briehler finished with 52 tackles (29 solo), 21 tackles for loss, nine sacks and two forced fumbles, ending his Hun career having made 123 total tackles and recording 20 sacks while also being ranked as the best defensive tackle recruit in New Jersey.

His best season there came in his sophomore campaign, where despite only playing in nine games, he had 57 tackles (38 solo), seven sacks and 19 tackles for loss.

His time in high school was filled with accolades, helping guide Hun to Mid-Atlantic Prep League Championships in 2023 and 2024, earning a First Team All-Northeast Prep League selection in 2022, being named a First-Team All-MAPL selection three times from 2022-2024 and being a First-Team All-Prep A selection from 2022-2024. In the classroom, he excelled, earning three honor roll selections in 2020, 2021 and 2024. 

While he may not have a big role immediately, Briehler will certainly be someone the Cardinal will want to use, with his immense talent, work ethic and team-first mentality making it extremely hard to keep him off the field. A model student-athlete who represents everything that Stanford wants when it recruits, Briehler will be the perfect fit for the Cardinal’s vision.