STANFORD – Fans were still streaming out of Stanford Stadium after the final game of the season, but sophomore receiver Elic Ayomanor was already looking ahead.
“For me, the off-season has already started,” Ayomanor said after the Cardinal completed a 3-9 season with a 56-23 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday.
“I’m already evaluating myself, seeing what I need to improve on. You see exactly where you had missteps and you make sure those things don’t happen again. Although the season is in the past, you can’t forget those emotions you had when things didn’t go your way, and you use those emotions to fuel you in the future.”
Stanford coach Troy Taylor said a $3-million facelift to the weight room will start immediately, along with meetings with current players. Though the team has 26 seniors and fifth-year players, everyone on the roster except for former walk-on linebacker Spencer Jorgensen is eligible to play next season.
And since Stanford’s academic requirements and lack of a large NIL collective doesn’t lend itself to adding talent via transfers, Taylor must also focus on recruiting before the Dec. 20 early signing day.
Stanford’s 2024 class currently ranks 27th nationally by 247Sports. Five of its 24 commits are ranked as four-star players, led by QB Elijah Brown, who is 42-2 as the starter of Southern California power Mater Dei.
“We will get bigger, stronger, faster, and we’ll improve as a coaching staff,” Taylor said.
There is plenty of room for improvement. Without the ability to generate pressure or force turnovers, Stanford finished 129th out of 130 teams in points allowed (37.2), yards allowed (461.7), and passing yards allowed (298). The offense was slightly better, ranking 110th in points (20.6) and 92nd in yards (351.4) despite not having a consistent running game.
The 3-9 record — same as the previous two seasons under coach David Shaw — surpassed expectations in some ways.
The Cardinal was picked to finish last in the final year of the Pac-12 and was only favored in two games, against Hawai’i (a win) and FCS-level Sacramento State (a loss). But Stanford won road games at Colorado and Washington State to escape the bottom of the conference.
While the season will always be remembered for the 29-point comeback at Colorado, the fourth-biggest comeback in Pac-12 history, there was also plenty for Stanford fans to forget. The Cardinal was the only team in the country without a home win – including the second loss in program history to an FCS team – and lost five games by 33 points or more.
Now Stanford will prepare for its first season in the ACC. In addition to the 127th Big Game, which will be at Cal, will travel to North Carolina State, Clemson, and Syracuse. The home schedule includes games against Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Louisville and SMU.
The dates for those matchups, including Stanford’s first-ever ACC game, have yet to be determined. But the non-conference schedule is set – Stanford will open by hosting TCU on Aug. 31 and Cal Poly on Sept. 7, play at Notre Dame on Oct. 12 in the last scheduled meeting of that series, and finish at San Jose State on Nov. 30.
“I haven’t really been keeping up with any of the teams in the ACC,” Ayomanor said. “But like I said, the off-season starts right now, so I’m looking forward to just seeing what those teams bring to the table and how they’ll challenge us and how we’ll be able to attack them.”
Ayomanor is one of the reasons for optimism in 2024. He finished with 1,013 receiving yards, the eighth-most in program history.
“That’s an amazing accomplishment, getting over the 1,000-yard mark, and his better days are ahead of him,” Taylor said.
Stanford should also benefit from stability this offseason after one of the most tumultuous years in program history. Seventeen players who were expected to be significant contributors left the program after Shaw resigned, and Taylor installed completely new offensive and defensive systems when he arrived from Sacramento State. And then the Pac-12 dissolved, leaving Stanford without a conference home in 2024 until the ACC eventually offered a spot.
“These guys that stayed, they gave us every single thing they had from day one,” Taylor said. “I’m indebted to them, and I told them we will be champions here. It will happen. Obviously didn’t happen this year. Some of them won’t be here physically when it happens, but they are a part of it.
“You know, when you give everything you have and put everything into it, you’re not guaranteed a tangible reward. That’s just not how life works. These guys continued to do it each week. A lot of respect for them, and excited to get moving forward.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com