Which Freshman Could be Starters for Stanford Football This Fall?

Stanford football has a crucial season coming up. With a new head coach, general manager, and quite a bit of change in the portal and in recruiting, the Cardinal are ready to pounce on the 2025 season, which is approaching quickly.

Through ups and downs, it has been a very weird recruiting year. Former head coach Troy Taylor took over the job back in 2023, and led the Cardinal to a 6-18 record (3-9 both seasons) as head coach. Taylor covered the majority of the 2025 recruiting class, but after his firing in April, Frank Reich took over the program, while GM Andrew Luck led the way in recruiting.

In college football, if one coach does the recruiting, but gets fired, many usually decide to leave for new programs, which was certainly the case on The Farm. However, there were still many stayed due to Reich’s resume, coaching ability, and pro style.

With many new players coming in, let’s look at a few that could make an impact next season.

JonAnthony Hall

Hall is Stanford’s top recruit in the 2025 cycle per 247 Sports, coming from Fishers, IN. In high school, he dominated Indiana football, establishing himself as the top player in the state. However, instead of attending phenomenal athletic and academic institutions like Notre Dame, Indiana, and Purdue, he decided to travel to the Bay Area to join the Cardinal.

This season, many injuries, including one of his own, have held wide receivers out. With David Pantelis likely done for the year, and Tiger Bachmeier leaving in the portal, there is tons of room for Hall to shine this season. If all goes well, he could have a season similar to Emmett Mosley V, who broke out last year with Stanford.

Mickey Vaccarello

Vaccarello is the third best recruit coming to Stanford, according to 247. Out of Peters Township in Canonsburg, NJ, Vaccarello dominated as a linebacker. Standing at 6’4, 210, he brings size to the Cardinal that could be of much use.

Despite having tons of defensive continuity, the linebacker room isn’t as deep as usual, and gives Vaccarello an opportunity to come in and prove his spot early.

Landon McComber

McComber attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, NV, a national powerhouse who consistently competes for national championships. McComber comes into Stanford with a winning mentality, and has been a part of some great locker rooms with tons of talent.

As one of the best players in Nevada, McComber is ready to bring wins to Palo Alto--something that the program has been chasing for years. The Cardinal have a linebacker room with lots of opportunity gives McComber a chance to break into a starting position early.

Overall, many Stanford freshmen truly could break out this year. Incomers Josh Williams, Gabe Kaminski, and Emeka Ugorji could also emerge as starters, but Hall, Vaccarello, and McComber are probably the most likely. With a solid class coming in, and many positions up for grabs, don’t be surprised if many freshman break out as consistent starters, or even stars.