Stanford Football Among Finalists for Four-star Running Back

Could Jonaz Walton end up on The Farm?

Oct 19, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; A goal line pylon displays the Stanford Cardinal and Atlantic Coast Conference logos during the fourth quarter against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Even through all the uncertainty surrounding the Stanford Cardinal football program, the team is still in the mix for some star power. Offering four-star running back Jonaz Walton a scholarship last year, it appears that the running back still has Stanford on his radar. With an official visit coming up, the Cardinal appear to be one of the finalists for the star's services.

Among other schools on Walton's list include Alabama, Notre Dame, Florida and Tennessee. Despite still having his senior season left to play, Walton's high school career has been a dominant one thus far, as he carried the ball 188 times for 1,387 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior.

But it was his sophomore season that really put him on the map, where he recorded a career-high of 1,683 yards and 22 touchdowns on 192 carries.

And with Walton having some official visits scheduled, it could soon be time to see the star back find a home and announce where he will play. According to On3 Recruits, official visits will play major roles in helping Walton decide a good fit for him.

Once one of the best running teams in the nation, with former star running back Christian McCaffrey taking the college football world by storm during his time on The Farm, the Cardinal are eager to get back to that, with interim head coach Frank Reich expressing multiple times that he wants the Cardinal offense to be well-balanced and have a lethal run game.

While the Cardinal have guys like Tuna Altahir, Micah Ford, Sedrick Irvin and Chris Davis Jr., among others, in their running back room already, adding a guy like Walton would not only add more depth to the team's backfield, but it would also give them another potential superstar to choose from.

Getting recruits to buy into the program and commit to the team in the current state of things may be tougher, but if the Cardinal are able to land a player like Walton, it could go a long way to helping the program recruit other big stars.

Stanford's roster could look a lot different come the fall, but if the program is able to bring the right players in who are willing to work hard to achieve the team's vision, then Stanford football may be alright in the long term and could be on the right track towards returning to national prominence.