U.S. Army All-American Bowl 2012: Barry Sanders Jr. May Bring Swag to Stanford

For those of you wondering how Stanford is going to survive without star quarterback Andrew Luck, one of the best signal-callers in college football history, well, I’ve got a simple two-word answer for you. 

Stepfan Taylor.

Because he happens to play in the same backfield as the most popular and talked about player in the country, Taylor doesn’t get his due and the respect he truly deserves as one of the top running backs in college football.

The 5’11’’, 205-pound junior ran for 1,330 yards and scored 12 touchdowns in 2011, and he was truly a workhorse back for a Stanford offense that was much more balanced than people like to make it seem.

Taylor may not have been as crucial of a component to the Cardinal’s offensive success as Luck was, but he was definitely still a vital piece.

The problem for Stanford is that even though the team should be able to rely a lot on Taylor during the 2012 season as Brett Nottingham, or whoever it is that attempts to replace Andrew Luck, tries to gain their footing, but after next season, the Cardinal will have to replace Taylor just like they’ll have to replace Luck this offseason.

Luckily for rookie head coach David Shaw, he’s reportedly set to receive a commitment from one of the top running back recruits in the country, Barry Sanders Jr., the son of the legendary Lions running back.

Sanders Jr. is rated as a 4-star prospect by both Rivals and Scout recruiting services, and the 5’10’’, 190-pound high school senior has managed to step out of his father’s tremendous shadow by showing off his own playmaking abilities at Heritage Hall School in Oklahoma City.

The highly coveted recruit has the type of strength and power that would fit in well with the Stanford offense, which likes to get things moving north and south and pound the ball inside the tackles, but he also has a little of his father’s elusiveness, and he can definitely make special things happen when he gets into the open field.

Sanders Jr. is expected to announce his decision during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday afternoon.

If he does in fact choose Stanford, it seems like the Cardinal will then have the perfect replacement for Stepfan Taylor when he moves on after the 2012 season, and they’ll also have another offensive weapon to add to the arsenal for a 2012 season that will certainly have its fair share of challenges awaiting.