Stanford Football Offensive Lineman Set to Return to College for Fifth Season

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Nov 4, 2017; Pullman, WA, USA; Stanford Cardinal helmet sit on the sideline during a game against the Washington State Cougars at Martin Stadium. The Cougars won 24-21. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

In the midst of the transfer portal season, Stanford football got a little bit of good news. On Friday, the Cardinal got word that offensive lineman Niki Prongos is returning to school instead of entering the NFL Draft, giving the Cardinal one of their most crucial players back for his fifth season of college football.

Prongos, an incoming redshirt senior, spent the first three seasons of his college career at UCLA, playing in 10 games and starting in eight. Spending his first two seasons on the bench and redshirting his first season, Prongos saw most of his action in the 2024 season, where he made all eight of his starts to that point, with nine games played.

Opting to enter the transfer portal after his redshirt sophomore season in order to earn more playing time, Prongos started in all 12 games at left tackle for Stanford this past season, and was the only player on the offensive line to start every game at one spot.

Playing a key role on the line, Prongos helped two Stanford running backs win ACC Player of the Week honors, while also helping former starting quarterback Ben Gulbranson throw for 444 yards in a comeback win over San Jose State. That was a career high for him.

Prior to the announcement that he was coming back, Prongos had a day two draft grade from NFL scouts, but will look to evolve into a bonafide first rounder this coming season.

For the '25 campaign, Prongos received the best pass blocking grade among qualified players for Stanford at 75.4 according to PFF. His grade also was the fourth-highest among starting ACC left tackles. Now that he'll be back at Stanford for another go-around, the Cardinal can build their offensive line around Prongos, and hope that they can get more consistent play out of the unit as a whole.

Prior to his college career, Prongos spent his prep career at Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, California, playing only one season of organized football during his senior year of high school.

Predominantly a baseball and basketball player, Prongos helped Marin Catholic win a state title in 2022. In baseball, He played for the Lithuanian National Team during the 2021 European Championship Qualifier, where the Lithuanians lost to Greece in the final.

In basketball, Prongos was a North Coast Section D-III runner-up in 2020 and a CIF NorCal Division I runner-up in 2019.

Prongos is the biggest name to announce that he will return to Stanford, with the Cardinal remaining relatively quiet throughout the transfer portal window so far.

Most notably signing Davis Warren out of Michigan and LeRoy Bryant out of Washington, the Cardinal have otherwise not done much in the portal, but are looking to build their roster through incoming freshman so that they can maintain success for the forseeable future.

But the one thing that will change for Prongos in his fifth season is who he will block for, with Gulbranson out of eligibility and quarterback Elijah Brown entering the transfer portal himself. Right now, the transfer Warren or the incoming freshman Michael Mitchell Jr. are the frontrunners to take over under center in 2026.