Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
There are a lot of people looking at the Stanford Cardinal as a team that could go out and have a chance for a national championship in 2013. The potential is there with Kevin Hogan back at quarterback, but there is one very major problem occurring at this point. Hogan needs people to throw to, and the top receivers from last season have both graduated.
Stanford lost Zach Ertz, Drew Terrell and Stepfan Taylor after last season. Ertz’s replacement at tight end in Levine Toilolo also left. This leads to a lot of questions on this Stanford team about who is going to catch passes from Hogan. It is going to have to be players like Luke Kaumatule, who at 6’7″ will have a major height advantage over his competition. The tight end position is one of genuine concern right now for Coach David Shaw and company.
Given the way they finished last season with a Rose Bowl victory, the expectations on the Cardinal this season are going to be massive without a doubt. Shaw will need to find a couple of different options for Hogan to throw to, and don’t forget about 6’4″ fullback Ryan Hewitt. Hewitt could find himself becoming a key portion of the passing game this season if he can come out of the backfield and bowl over defenders. There are certainly a lot of questions to be answered between now and the beginning of fall practice. The 2013 season may not be as fruitful as people imagine for Stanford if this situation isn’t figured out.
Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports, like his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google.
