College football recruiting: Stanford is building offensive line with Colorado prospects

Jake Maikkula joined a increasing contented among elite precocious schoolhouse violative enactment recruits successful Colorado.

Commit to playing shot astatine Stanford.

“It’s decidedly been a schoolhouse I’ve been precise funny successful for a truly agelong time,” Maikkula said. “Once I got retired determination and got connected campus, I knew it was a spot I powerfully wanted to be.”

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Valor Christian violative tackle pledged implicit the play to play his assemblage shot for the Cardinal. Maikkula — a three-star imaginable (per 247Sports) — chose Stanford implicit assistance offers from the likes of California, CU, Duke, Nebraska and Virginia. Turning down the Buffs wasn’t easy.

“I decidedly considered playing astatine home,” Maikkula said. “CU was my archetypal offer. It’s the schoolhouse I’ve had the longest narration with. … Ultimately, it came down to Stanford due to the fact that I felt it was the close acceptable for me.”

COMMITTED TO STANFORD UNIVERSITY! #CardClass22 pic.twitter.com/RMxHkDZRnm

— Jake Maikkula (@JakeMaikkula) August 1, 2021

Maikkula is the 3rd in-state violative lineman to perpetrate to Stanford since 2019 — on with Barrett Miller (Eaglecrest) and Drake Nugent (Highlands Ranch). Miller is present the team’s third-year starting near guard. Nugent is expected to commencement astatine center adjacent season.

“Those are some large resources to have,” Maikkula said.

Stanford manager David Shaw intelligibly likes violative enactment endowment grown successful Colorado. It’s go the state’s strongest presumption for consistently producing high-level shot prospects. The OL pipeline to Palo Alto, Calif., has been unfastened for years.

Colorado’s top-rated enlistee successful the Class of 2011, offensive lineman Brendon Austin (Chaparral), signed with Stanford and appeared successful 52 games implicit 4 seasons.  Offensive defender Dillon Bonnell (ThunderRidge) besides played for the Cardinal (2010-13).

“It’s large that Colorado guys are getting recruited to places similar that,” Maikkula said. “Colorado has had truly large o-linemen truly passim the people of the past decade. I’m precise thankful to beryllium a portion of that. Stanford is an unthinkable place. When guys similar maine get that offer, it’s decidedly precise intriguing.”

There is 1 much big-name violative lineman near successful the Class of 2023, three-star imaginable Travis Gray (Cherokee Trail). The 6-foot-6, 300-pound violative tackle is considering assistance offers from Arizona, CU and Maryland. Gray plans to marque his committedness Wednesday, according to his station connected Twitter.