Stanford has solid leader

A running back who doesn't get a lot of mention as being one of the top backs in the state, but who deserves it, is Chino's (Calif.) R.J. Stanford. Stanford is a very talented kid and said he would commit on the spot if one of his favorites put an offer out for him.

Stanford, 5-11, 185 pounds is a slasher with breakaway speed. He had a solid junior season rushing for 1,682 yards and 10 touchdowns and despite missing two games this year, greatly improved on those numbers.

"I rushed for almost 2,000 yards and scored 27 touchdowns," Stanford said. "We had a good season, we made it to the CIF quarter finals before losing to Mission Viejo. I would describe myself as a hard runner who can break tackles with the speed to score from anywhere on the field."

On the recruiting front, Stanford said he has a top five, one visit set and one school as his favorite.

"I like UCLA, Arizona State, Oregon State, Utah and Boise State," Stanford said. "Utah and Boise State have offered and I'm still hearing from the others. I'm going to visit Utah (Jan. 13) and that's the only trip I have set up so far. Right now, I really like ASU and if they offered, I would commit on the spot.

"The problem was they got my old transcripts but since then, I've improved a lot and I'm going to qualify. They already have a running back committed but after they saw my new transcripts, they said they want to offer me as a receiver or defensive back. Right now, I'm still talking with them about setting a visit and we'll see where things go from there."