Stanford dips into Texas for another commit

Jim Harbaugh is continuing to make waves on the field and on the recruiting trail at Stanford University. Just one day after knocking off Arizona in dramatic fashion, Harbaugh picked up his 17th commit of the 2009 recruiting class, a class that is among the nation's best to date.

Hurst (Texas) L.D. Bell defensive end Josh Mauro was in Palo Alto over the weekend on an official visit and headed back to Texas on Sunday as a Cardinal.

"I committed to Stanford," Mauro said on Sunday night. "I had a meeting with Coach Harbaugh and I committed during the day before the meetings. I just thought that Coach Harbaugh is a great coach and they have a really good coaching staff there. They're going to change the program and their recruiting class is really good."

Mauro chose Stanford over offers from Boise State, Utah and Louisville with heavy interest from Baylor, Nebraska, Northwestern and others. His official visit to the campus confirmed all of his interest in the Pac-10 program.

"I met a bunch of the professors for the classes that I'm in next year," he said. "I watched them beat Arizona on the last drive of the game. That was nice. I ate dinner with the coaches and their wives. I got to know the coaches better and all the academics and stuff."

At 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, Mauro is athletic and versatile, playing both tight end and defensive end for his high school program. While many schools liked him as a tight end, Stanford was recruiting his strictly on the defensive side of the ball having already gained commitments from five tight end prospects.

With this being his first season at defensive end, Mauro is new to the position and is already making great strides as a senior.

"The first six games I have about 40 tackle and seven sacks," he said. "The transition has been good. At our school, we run a 3-4 so I'm getting double and triple teamed every play. At Stanford they play with a true defensive end off the edge so that should be fun."

With the commitment, Mauro is likely done with the recruiting process and is excited about his future as a Cardinal.

"I think I'm done," he said. "I'm pretty happy with Stanford. I can't think of a better place to be."