Stanford Women's Basketball Recruits Earn McDonald's All-American Selections

The 2025 recruiting class is already looking like it will be a good one.

Feb 10, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; The Stanford Cardinal logo at center court before the game between the Stanford Cardinal and the USC Trojans at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

The first recruiting class under new head coach Kate Paye is looking like it will be filled with superstars for Stanford. With a recruiting class ranked No. 3 in the country according to ESPN, the Cardinal were aggressive in landing top talent as they look to stay nationally relevant, even as members of the ACC.

Now it looks like we are starting to see just how talented Stanford's '25 class is, with three of its signees being selected as McDonald's All-Americans.

ba-da-ba-BA-BAAA 🎶

we're lovin' it 🍔🍟🤩 pic.twitter.com/yb3h0yw2JL

— Stanford WBB 🌲🏀 (@StanfordWBB) January 27, 2025

Four of the five players that Paye was able to sign are nationally ranked, with point guard Hailee Swain (No. 9), forward Lara Somfai (No. 16), forward Alexandra Eschmeyer (No. 31) and forward Nora Ezike (No. 84) all earning high grades from ESPN.

Of the five prospects signed, Somfai, Eschmeyer and Swain will each play in the McDonald's All-American girls game, with Eschmeyer a part of the West Team and Somfai and Swain playing for the East Team.

Stanford's recruiting class is particularly strong in that the expectation will be that once again, Stanford will have big names players on their roster. Losing last year's stars in Cameron Brink (WNBA) and Kiki Iriafen (transferred to USC) the Cardinal have been left without a big name superstar to rely on this year.

Consequently, they have struggled to find a rhythm and are in jeopardy of missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Considered a balanced class that contains both strong perimeter and inside players, many consider Somfai to be the cherry on top. A star for IMG Academy in Florida, Somfai also brings a lot of FIBA (international competition) experience, having played with the best of the best, and figures to be the type of player who can start day one.

A 6-foot-4 two-way star, Somfai can shoot the ball very well and is also a star at defending her position.

Swain, another player who has experience at the international level, will bring elite defense to the mix, with her reportedly deemed as one of the best defensive guards in the country.

She is also a good scorer, averaging 10.3 points on Team USA in the team's gold medal run during the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.

Eschmeyer, who is listed as a forward but also plays center, is the perfect definition of a two-way star. Known for her elite interior prowess and physicality, she can also stretch the floor and shoot the occasional three-ball.

In a season where three-point shooting has been one of the bright spots, adding Eschmeyer can help Stanford hone in on that identity even more next year.

This season has clearly seen Stanford experience a lot of growing pains, but with the talent that it was able to bring in for the the future, winning consistently will soon become critical, with the anticipation to bring home another national title starting to mount.