Stanford secured a major recruiting victory Sunday entering its debut season under coach Troy Taylor, landing a commitment from four-star 2024 quarterback and Elite 11 finalist Elijah Brown. The Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei High School product is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 33 overall prospect and No. 3 at his position in the 2024 recruiting cycle
Brown had 16 known offers during his recruitment, according to 247Sports. In-state foes USC and UCLA were finalists along with Stanford, but Brown opted to take his talents to the Bay Area rather than staying in his native Southern California.
"I felt really comfortable there," Brown told 247Sports' Greg Biggins. "I liked the UCLA visit a lot too. Both schools were great, but I love the all-around fit for me at Stanford and it felt like home. ... Coach Taylor likes to throw the ball around a lot and it's an offense I think I can really thrive in. I got to spend a lot of time with coach Taylor and [Quarterbacks coach Tyler Osborne] on the visit because I stayed a day longer and felt a really good connection with those guys."
Brown becomes the highest-ranked recruit by 247Sports to commit to Stanford for the 2024 cycle. He's the third Cardinal commit in this cycle to boast a four-star ranking, joining edge rushers Dylan Stephenson and Naki Tuakoi. Stanford's 2024 recruiting class now ranks ninth nationally, according to 247Sports.
Mater Dei is no stranger to producing successful quarterbacks over the years. Notable signal-callers who've gone through the school include Heisman winners Matt Leinart and Bryce Young, the latter of whom was taken No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2023 NFL Draft after starring for Alabama.
Brown ended his junior season in 2022 throwing for 2,785 yards and 31 touchdowns with a 68% completion rate. Mater Dei is 29-1 overall in games in which Brown has started.
Stanford continues success recruiting QBs post-Shaw
The Cardinal may be in the middle of a regime change, but Brown's commitment to Stanford suggests that recruiting talented passers won't necessarily be a problem in the post-David Shaw era. No Cardinal quarterback in recent history, of course, stands above Andrew Luck, who joined the Cardinal when Shaw was offensive coordinator and played his final year at the program during Shaw's first season at the helm.
As the Shaw era marched on, Stanford continued to see healthy production from quarterbacks such as K.J. Costello, Davis Mills and Tanner McKee. All three were top-100 recruits in their respective classes with Mills being the most coveted. Mills earned a five-star ranking from 247Sports and was the No. 19 overall prospect in the Class of 2017. Go ahead and add Brown to that recent trend as Taylor's staff looks to make its mark on the program.
