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Stephens talks about his commitment to Stanford
Jason Pughe
Updated June 20, 2008...
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Terrence Stephens is a 6-2, 295 pound defensive tackle from Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Last season he collected 10.5 sacks, 56 tackles, and two interceptions. He had offers from schools such as Stanford, Maryland, West Virginia, Penn State, Connecticut, NC State, Michigan State, and Nebraska. Last month, Stephens visited Stanford and felt it was time to commit to the school out west.
“I committed a couple of weeks ago to Stanford,” he said. “They had a lot of opportunities that would allow me to play early and be a leader. It is a place that I can excel on the field and in academics as well. I like the players, coaches, and the people in the community there. All around it’s a great opportunity. I have been in Maryland for a very long time. I figured it was time for a move, I figured now was a good time to move and why not go as far away as possible. Instead of taking baby steps, I took a giant leap.”
Last season Coach Jim Harbaugh showed that he has what it takes to get Stanford to the next level. While Stanford looks to be an up and coming program on the football field, their academic prestige has always been top notch.
“The top thing for me was the academics at Stanford,” Stephens said. “They have a high standard there and there’s a time to get work done and a time to play. It’s a blessing to be going there.”
Seeing that Stephens is going across the country to play college football, I asked if he grew up following Stanford or any other college football teams. He stated that he didn’t grow up a fan of any college team, but he did have a favorite NFL team.
“I have probably watched two college football games in my life,” he said. “I’m not your typical recruit that grew up following their favorite team. In the next year I’ll start watching more college football. My favorite NFL team is the Dallas Cowboys. I’m a fan of Mean Joe Greene, Deion Sanders, Jerry Rice, and Bo Jackson.”
Now that his decision is behind them, this appears to be it for the big defensive tackle from Gaithersburg. At one point he felt like he would like to see other schools but that is no longer the case. He now wants to spend all his time getting ready for next year and helping Stanford recruit one of the top classes for 2009.
“I’ve made up my mind and I think it’s kind of disloyal when you commit and visit other places,” said Stephens. “When I committed, I expressed my concerns to Stanford about having that option to visit other schools. Now that it is getting late in the process, I don’t think I’ll need that option. I’m focusing on helping Stanford put together the best possible class for 09. I’m going to visit during the summer and spend 3 days at Stanford. I want to use that time to recruit other athletes. I’m really excited about that and letting these other schools know that Stanford is a school that can get to the top and stay there.”