Stanford football’s secondary has gone through significant change over the course of the season. Junior safety Jaivion Green was knocked out early in the season and fellow safety, graduate student Omari Porter, exited last week’s game against Notre Dame.
As a result, several players in the secondary have switched positions, while young players have stepped into starting roles earlier than expected. Junior cornerback Collin Wright stepped in for Green at the nickel position during the game against Clemson — where Green was injured — and tallied an interception. Sophomore cornerback Jshawn Frausto-Ramos has moved through several different positions as the ranks of the secondary starters continue to thin out.
“I like all the positions and [I like] helping my team the best way I can,” Frausto-Ramos said. “I’ll play defensive tackle if they put me there.”
Stanford head football coach Troy Taylor warned that one of the main problems facing the team, currently 2-4, was their lack of depth. Fourteen players on the roster were dealing with injuries, he noted.
Our progress “is slowed down when we don’t have a full allotment of players,” Taylor said. “We have to use young guys as opposed to pulling from the transfer portal.”
Because of the lack of transfers through the portal, Taylor continued, freshman cornerbacks Cam Richardson and Brandon Nicholson were slated to have more time on the field.
While the Cardinal’s rush defense remains highly ranked in the Atlantic Coast Conference, its pass defense has struggled, in particular at stopping big plays. In last week’s matchup against Notre Dame, Stanford gave up 248 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in a 49-7 rout.
The Cardinal’s defense is wary of their upcoming game against SMU, with both Taylor and Frausto-Ramos acknowledging that SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings poses a serious threat to their unit.
“SMU has a really fast tempo and a good quarterback,” Taylor said.
As Porter and Green are unavailable for next week, and cornerbacks Aaron Morris and Zahran Manley are both questionable, it seems likely that the revolving door of Stanford’s secondary lineup will keep turning.
Taylor expressed mild concern about having to ask his players to switch positions so suddenly.
“There’s a number of residual [effects] that happen when you lose a safety and have to move a corner to nickel and play a new corner,” he said.
It seems clear that Stanford’s secondary desperately needs stability going into Saturday’s matchup with a tough opponent like SMU. Despite this, there is reason for hope. The young team spells good fortune for the future as its freshmen and sophomores gain experience earlier rather than later.
“We like our young guys,” Taylor said. “It’s good to give them an opportunity to show what they can do.”