Significant playing time for true freshmen has been a rarity at Stanford over the past 10 years. The likes of Andrew Luck and Solomon Thomas didn't even see the field in their first seasons on campus, while Christian McCaffrey -- who would post one of the greatest campaigns in college football history as a sophomore -- was little more than an afterthought as a freshman. Before November hit, he averaged only about one carry per game.
But based on the way that the Cardinal's 2017 recruiting class has shaped up, that trend may be changing.