There is a buzz building around Jim Harbaugh and the Stanford football program, despite the fact that the Cardinal are just 9–15 in the coach’s first two years on The Farm. There is a sense that Stanford is coming — sooner rather than later. It started with the 2007 upset of USC, continued after narrowly missing a bowl game last season and added steam after Harbaugh brought in one of the nation’s top recruiting classes for 2009.

The Cardinal may not be ready to contend for the Pac-10 championship just yet, but a winning season and a finish in the upper half of the conference aren’t out of the question in 2009.

“This team has an identity,” Harbaugh says. “This team is better and has more depth than it has had. We’re becoming the strong, blue-collar kind of football team that we envisioned.”

Stanford went 5–7 last year but notched quality wins over Oregon State and Arizona and lost close games to Oregon, Notre Dame and UCLA. After the season, Harbaugh reportedly interviewed with the New York Jets and was on the wish list of a handful of other NFL teams.

But Harbaugh stayed put, agreeing to a three-year contract extension and continuing to lay the foundation for a contending team in the Pac-10. But Harbaugh, never afraid to make grandiose statements, wants more than that.

“Our goals next year won’t be to get bowl-eligible. It will be BCS-eligible. That’s what we will be aiming for,” he told reporters following the Cardinal’s season-ending loss to Cal.

Stanford needs to simply have a winning season first. With a talented young quarterback and some key returners to a very good defense in place, the Cardinal could finally finish over the break-even mark for the first time since 2001.

Quarterbacks

The Cardinal have a returning starter in Tavita Pritchard, but Harbaugh may not be able to wait to have the Andrew Luck era begin. Luck, a highly recruited redshirt freshman out of Houston, looked the part in spring ball and appears to have the edge going into fall camp. “Luck is going to be a star,” Harbaugh says. “It’s undeniable.” Pritchard will be remembered for leading the Cardinal to its historic upset of USC in 2007, but his performance has been uneven over the past two years. He’s thrown 22 interceptions against 15 touchdown passes in his career and by the end of last year was sharing time with backup Alex Loukas. But Harbaugh says Pritchard continues to improve and the competition will last into the fall. “You could make a case that Tavita finds a way to win games,” Harbaugh says. “He’s right there with Luck.” Loukas also was a candidate at quarterback but tore his right ACL during spring practice. He also was getting reps at wide receiver and defensive end.

Running backs

Harbaugh knew Toby Gerhart had potential after watching him rush for 140 yards in the 2007 season-opener before suffering a season-ending knee injury. But he admittedly didn’t anticipate that Gerhart would reach the level of production he did in 2008. Gerhart set the Stanford single-season record with 1,136 yards. “There was some surprise there, no doubt about it,” Harbaugh says. “We had an idea of what Toby could do. I was really pleased with how he played. He was our best football player last year.” The Cardinal are also taking a long look at Jeremy Stewart, a junior who has been waiting his turn behind Gerhart and the departed Anthony Kimble.

Receivers

The Cardinal return their top two pass-catchers from last year, Ryan Whalen and Doug Baldwin. But Harbaugh is excited about talented sophomore Chris Owusu, who excelled as a kick returner as a freshman. “He’s coming on like a freight train,” Harbaugh says. Harbaugh called Loukas the team’s third-best receiver during the spring before the injury. With Luck or Pritchard seemingly substantially ahead of Loukas at quarterback, Harbaugh was trying to find other ways to get him on the field. “He’s such a big, fast athlete that we have to get him on the field,” Harbaugh says. “He’s very much in it at quarterback. He’s playing defensive end. He’s playing special teams. He can cause a fumble, catch a touchdown, run a touchdown. This guy is really special.” Loukas, who has already redshirted, is going to attempt to return to action at some point during the 2009 season. Richard Sherman, once a promising talent at wide receiver, is moving to cornerback. Sherman never got going last season before having season-ending knee surgery. Harbaugh also brought in one of the top wide receiver classes in the country, and he says Jamal Rashad-Patterson could vie for a starting spot right away.

Offensive linemen

The Cardinal will have to rebuild their line following the departures of all-conference honoree Ben Muth and Alex Fletcher, but Harbaugh is encouraged by this group’s potential. It looks as though Stanford will finally be getting back Allen Smith, an accomplished left tackle who has missed almost two full seasons with a knee injury and was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Tackle Chris Marinelli, who was All-Pac-10 honorable mention last year, is back and may move to guard. Harbaugh says redshirt freshman David DeCastro has a chance to be a four-year starter. Chase Beeler, a one-time Oklahoma Sooner figures to replace Fletcher at center.

Defensive linemen

The Cardinal finished third in the Pac-10 in sacks per game last year and return a talented and experienced defensive line. Defensive end Pannel Egboh is gone and should be on an NFL roster this fall, but Erik Lorig and Tom Keiser form a tandem of ends that combined for nine sacks last season. Ekom Udofia, arguably Stanford’s best down lineman, also returns on the inside. The Cardinal have seven defensive linemen who saw meaningful playing time last season.

Linebackers

Stanford entered its game with Cal needing a win to qualify for a bowl. Those prospects dimmed when linebacker Clinton Snyder fractured his ankle in the first quarter. Snyder arguably is the Cardinal’s most indispensable player. The good news for Stanford is that he’s still around for 2009 to anchor the defense. “He gives us toughness, intensity, a blue-collar mentality — what we love about football players,” Harbaugh says. Snyder will no longer be playing alongside Pat Maynor, who was Stanford’s second-leading tackler last year. But Nick Macaluso, Max Bergen and Will Powers all have valuable experience and should contend for playing time. Sophomore Alex Debniak came on during the spring, and incoming freshman Shayne Skov could compete for playing time immediately. The Cardinal also are experimenting with fullback Owen Marecic at linebacker. Harbaugh says he won’t hesitate to use him as a true two-way player.

Defensive backs

The secondary should be a strength of the team, with leading tackler Bo McNally back at free safety, depth at cornerback and converted running back Delano Howell at strong safety. Kris Evans is back at one corner spot, and Corey Gatewood, who missed last season with an ankle injury, is a heavy favorite to start as well. But Michael Thomas looked good in the spring and could be in the mix for significant playing time. Harbaugh says Howell, who got 16 carries as a true freshman last season, simply “looks like a safety” and has basically been handed the job unchallenged. “Wherever you put him, he’s just a great football player,” Harbaugh says.

Specialists

Stanford has stability at punter with David Green, but it lost placekicker Aaron Zagory. Notre Dame transfer Nate Whitaker is expected to take over. Last year’s backup, Travis Golia, shared kickoffs with Zagory. The Cardinal finished in the top half of the Pac-10 in both punt and kick returns, and all of the principals are back. Owusu, Stewart and Howell each averaged at least 23 yards per kick return last year, while Baldwin handled punt returns.

This preview appears in the 2009 Athlon Sports Pac-10 Magazine. Click here to order yours today.

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