Three Stanford players poised for a breakout season in 2022

These Cardinal have a chance to have career years for Stanford

This upcoming season for the Stanford Cardinal could be more important than many people realize. 

After starting his tenure as the head coach as hot as they come, David Shaw and Stanford have recently been struggling to be at the level that the program once was. The Cardinal have not had a winning season since 2018, and with one of the tougher schedules in the country, they are projected to win around five or less games in 2022. 

 Whether it be due to the fact the systems are stuck in an archaic style of playing, or that the team's strength and conditioning isn't up to par something needs to be fixed.

One way to overcome some of these issues is to have new players step up and make an impact whether they were reserves last season, or new additions to the team this offseason. 

There are three players that come to mind that are poised for a huge season in 2022 that can really lift this team beyond its subpar win projections. Honorable mention goes to Tanner McKee, as he had somewhat of a breakout last season during the first five games, prior to going down with an injury. Let's take a look at the three players who I think have a great chance of providing a spark for the team, and having a breakout year in 2022. 

Patrick Fields, Safety

Mickey Welsh

Stanford's prestigious academics handicaps their athletic programs in a huge way. That way being of course the fact that they are unable to take in transfers from all over the country like 90% of college programs can. Unlike a program like USC who was able to bring in 21 transfers, the Cardinal program is built on recruiting and developing talent. However, in a very rare occurrence, the Cardinal actually had someone join the team as a transfer, as former Oklahoma safety Patrick Fields will be joining the squad in 2022.

Fields played at an extremely high level while at Oklahoma, as he was a two-time All-Big 12 honorable mention while also playing major College Football Playoff games during his four years there. He is someone who can assert himself as a leader, and has the production to back it up. During his time at Oklahoma he racked up over 200 total tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, and three interceptions. His experience on the back end will help provide a boost for a defense that ranked No. 114 in total defense and gave up nearly seven yards per play and close to 500 yards a game. 

 

E.J. Smith, Running Back

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After losing their two leading rushers Austin Jones (USC) and Nathaniel Peat (Missouri) the Cardinal need someone in the backfield to step up. Majority of the Cardinal offense is based off their ground and pound run game, so if that is ineffective the rest of the offense will be as well. 

This is where E.J. Smith comes into play, as he was stuck behind those two on the depth chart receiving just 26 carries to their 186 combined. However, he was tied for the team lead in yards per carry with Peat at 5.1, and also showed during the spring game that he can be absolutely lethal in the passing game. If the offensive line can take advantage of having a full offseason to get in shape and refine their issues, Smith is someone who can easily burst onto the scene and have a major impact. While he isn't Christian McCaffrey by any means, his ability to be a dynamic runner and pass catcher is the ideal back for a David Shaw offense. 

David Bailey, EDGE

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This offseason is just full of rarities for the Stanford football team. Not only did they take in a transfer, but they also had a recruit enroll early in four-star EDGE David Bailey. Having the spring camp experience under his belt along with there fact that the Cardinal returned only one player who had more than five tackles for loss last season, Bailey is someone who can significant playing time as a freshman. 

He can help bolster a Stanford pass rush that ranked No. 122 in the country for sacks with just 15 on the year. Shaw raved about Bailey's impact during the spring, and it wouldn't be surprising if he carves out a role for himself as a true freshman.