Stanford Football in the Running to Land Four-Star Quarterback

The new era of Stanford football is not messing around. In an offseason that has seen several changes made to the program in multiple areas, including the hiring of new head coach Tavita Pritchard, the Stanford Cardinal are eager to prove that they are ready to be competitive in 2026 and make a run at a bowl game.

And the Cardinal want to make sure that their window of success is open for as long as possible with new coaching hires, as well as hitting recruiting hard.

Earlier in the week, it was reported that Stanford recently conducted a visit with class of 2027 four-star quarterback, Dane Weber, out of Chaparral High School.

Expected to roll with former Michigan starter Davis Warren this season, while also signing true freshmen such as Michael Mitchell Jr., the long-term future of the quarterback position is a major question for Stanford, and if the program is able to land a guy like Weber, it makes things a whole lot more interesting.

Having over 20 offers from top programs such as Michigan, Oregon, Washington, Utah, along with several others, Oregon has been considered a front-runner to land Weber from the start. But according to a recent report from Oregon Ducks on SI, Weber's visit with Stanford has had the Cardinal emerge as a dark horse for Weber.

"The plan for me to come in and have an impact early and help turn the program around is something very interesting," Weber told Rivals.com about his Stanford visit.

Weber was the first quarterback from next year's class to meet with Stanford, and with the Cardinal led by two of their former quarterbacks in head coach Pritchard and general manager Andrew Luck, Stanford has become a more appealing place for quarterbacks to latch on in recent months.

With no clear cut plan in place beyond this season, Stanford's program gives Weber the opportunity to compete for the starting job right away—a very enticing chance for any freshman to consider.

While the Cardinal have not had a superstar quarterback since Luck, the rich history and chance to be the catalyst for a turnaround could make Stanford a very good option for Weber to consider. But with another season of high school football still left to play, Weber's focus is on building off of a very strong junior season and leading Chaparral to even more success this fall.

In his first season as a starter on varsity as a sophomore, Weber quickly burst onto the scene, completing 66% of his passes (183 out of 274) for 2,660 yards, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions while contributing 834 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. Despite his team finishing 7-4 and failing to win any titles, Weber was a major bright spot all year long.

Landing a guy like Weber will be tough, but if the Cardinal can make a statement and sign a big name like that, then hope for the future becomes even brighter, and the potential for a Cardinal resurgence grows exponentially.

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