In the wake of national signing day, The Daily asked Matt Squeri ’06, a recruiting analyst for The Bootleg, a Stanford-centric Scout.com affiliate, for his rapid reaction to the Cardinal’s 2010 haul. Read on for his answers on sleepers, impact players and areas of improvement for future classes.

The Stanford Daily: What are your general thoughts on the class? Who are the sleepers? Which guys should Cardinal fans keep an eye on?

Matt Squeri: The 2010 recruiting class was a strong one for Stanford that continues the work coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff did with the 2009 recruiting class in improving the overall talent on the roster. The Cardinal faced major needs at offensive line and linebacker and did an adequate job filling those needs, though both will remain recruiting priorities for next year because the Cardinal still lacks strong quantity at those positions. The class is especially notable for its overall depth from top to bottom. Stanford reached on very few prospects and filled the class almost entirely with players coveted by multiple major programs. Middle linebacker Blake Lueders, running back Anthony Wilkerson, quarterback Brett Nottingham, safety Devon Carrington and running back Ricky Seale were all elite national prospects (generally regarded as in the top 300 overall players in the nation), but the class’ depth makes it plausible for virtually anyone to make a difference for Stanford. With such a deep class it is hard to characterize anybody as a sleeper, but linebacker Joe Hemschoot is a year younger than his classmates and really burst onto the scene as a senior. “Slash” quarterback Darren Daniel may be the most mysterious player in the class and could play early for Stanford as a wide receiver or “Wildcat” quarterback.

TSD: While Stanford did not land any major “whales,” like an Andrew Luck, it does appear that they’ve added highly rated talent at positions of need. Where do you rate this class amongst Harbaugh’s previous ones?

MS: I rate this class as Harbaugh’s second best and also the second best of any class signed in the last nine years by Buddy Teevens, Walt Harris, or Harbaugh. However, one’s perspective on the class depends on how one prioritizes elite national recruits or outstanding depth. This class has a few less elite players than last year in the view of Scout.com or Rivals.com, but is so deep from top-to-bottom that it may end up providing the Cardinal with even more help on Saturdays in the fall than last year’s group. No class is perfect and while the 2009 group could have done better with large linemen the 2010 group could have done better with wide receivers.

TSD: Which players do you see making an immediate impact?

MS: It is always very difficult to predict which players will make an immediate impact. Defensive back is currently a relatively deep position on the Stanford roster, but Devon Carrington is such a hard-hitting and confident talent that he may push for early playing time. Stanford returns proven depth at running back in Stepfan Taylor, Tyler Gaffney and Jeremy Stewart, but Jim Harbaugh expects Anthony Wilkerson to insert himself in the mix as a freshman in the way Taylor and Gaffney did this past fall. Blake Lueders, as the most highly touted player in the class and one who plays a position of acute need for Stanford, is probably the best bet in the class to play as a freshman. Keanu Nelson and Ricky Seale are versatile athletes who could be used as weapons on offense or depth on defense.

TSD: While the Cardinal’s recruiting has certainly picked up during Harbaugh’s tenure, what are areas of improvement for the future.

MS: Stanford needs to recruit the physically biggest positions on the field better. The last three classes combined under Harbaugh have only provided the Cardinal with ten players who reported weighing more than 260 pounds coming out of high school. Positive early returns on some athletic young offensive linemen on the roster and the four quality offensive linemen Stanford signed on Wednesday alleviate some of the concern on the offensive side of the ball. But it remains a serious question who will man the middle of the defensive line for Stanford once guys like Sione Fua and Matthew Masifilo have completed their eligibility. Strategically, Stanford faced an extremely complicated task navigating the recruiting landscape this past year as it offered scholarships to over 200 players and had dozens of players commit at one point or another. The staff can make life easier for itself with some modifications to its strategy. Nonetheless, the overall strategy of expanding the pool of recruits and aggressively courting elite recruits from far-flung regions serves as the core of the recruiting success the last two years and will almost certainly continue.