Stanford lands commitment from four-star Dylan Stephenson

Stanford fans must feel as if they are in a fever dream of recruiting, as this new staff has been a dominant force on the recruiting trail.

The Cardinal have now landed 13 commits in the month of June, and one of the the latest happens to be the highest ranked commit of the Troy Taylor era. Four-star EDGE out of Miami, Florida Dylan Stephenson took to social media to announce his commitment to Stanford. According to Rivals who Stephenson announced his commitment through, Stephenson ranks as the No. 69 player in the country.

“Let’s get back to smellin’ those roses 🌹‼️”#Rivals100 DE Dylan Stephenson just became the highest ranked recruit to commit to Stanford in the Troy Taylor era.https://t.co/U7JIKuotUQ pic.twitter.com/UtxHKx62v9
— John Garcia, Jr. (@JohnGarcia_Jr) June 13, 2023

Stephenson chose Stanford over programs such as Florida State, Miami, Auburn, Louisville and Illinois. When talking with Rivals' John Garcia, the Miami native expressed what ultimately led to his decision to pick Stanford.

"I feel like it’s the best of both worlds," Stephenson said of his decision. "When you think of a pinnacle of great academics and great football, Stanford is the school you think of most."

He also touched on how confident he is in Troy Taylor and the new era of Stanford football.

"They have a great history under their previous coach and now with that coach Taylor has planned for the future, I think it’s a great opportunity for me."

Despite having visits to other programs such as Florida State and Illinois scheduled for June, Stephenson revealed that his recent official to Palo Alto was the deal sealer for him. The Cardinal rolled out the red carpet for Stephenson and the other visitors, and provide what Stephenson said was his top visit he had ever been on.

"It was the best visit I’ve ever been on. It was the amount of stuff they did, the amount of things I saw on the visit, the information I was able to take in. It wasn’t about photo shoots. We had lunch and dinner with faculty and professors, I’ve never seen that before."

Standing in at 6-foot-4, Stephenson offers great size and athleticism and a knack for being in the backfield. In his past two seasons at Columbus, he combined for 20 sacks, 98 total tackles, and 20 tackles for a loss. He revealed to Garcia what he and Bobby April III discussed as to what kind of roll he'd have for the Cardinal once he arrives, and while Stanford fans will be excited, offenses should be terrified.

"There’s a mutual agreement between me and coach April, I’m kind of the apex predator of the defense," Stephenson said. "I kind of control everything on the edge, whether boundary or field side. I’ll probably be more of a boundary edge, be able to rush the passer off the edge but also able to drop in coverage as needed. It’s the best of both worlds, Swiss army knife type of things."

Stephenson also expressed that his recruitment is officially closed and he will no longer be partaking in visits or any other courting from other programs. He had one message for Stanford fans.

"Let’s get back to smellin’ them roses!"