Stanford's offense relished in life on the mountaintop in 2015. Kevin Hogan and Christian McCaffrey both enjoyed career years, and the Cardinal scored more points per possession than any other team in the country.
Stanford then suffered through the nadir in 2016, scoring only one touchdown outside of garbage time during a four-game stretch that derailed Pac-12 title repeat hopes.
Coach David Shaw hopes that 2017 will more closely resemble 2015 than it did 2016 -- but given the unsettled roster situation, it seems impossible to predict the future at this point.
Even after the loss of McCaffrey to the NFL draft, Stanford will continue to pack plenty of talent on the offensive end. The problem is that key portions of this stockpile are either currently injured or still in high school.
Starting quarterback Keller Chryst hurt his knee during the Cardinal's victory over North Carolina in the Sun Bowl, and he's not expected to be ready until fall camp at the soonest. That means that Stanford will suit up only two scholarship quarterbacks -- Ryan Burns and K.J. Costello -- during spring practice. There's a chance that this shortage will continue into the season, as Chryst's return date -- just like that of incoming freshman Davis Mills, who also hurt his knee in the final game of last season -- is not yet guaranteed.
Then there's the issue of the offensive line. Stanford gave up 34 sacks last season, the most it had surrendered since Jim Harbaugh took over as coach in 2007. The Cardinal's front also struggled to create running lanes against the toughest defenses on its schedule: In losses to Washington, Washington State and Colorado, Stanford only averaged 2.1 yards per carry.
The program's best hope up front appears to lie in a youth movement. True freshman guard Nate Herbig buoyed the group after his insertion in the starting lineup this year, and Stanford just signed Foster Sarell and Walker Little, two of the top offensive line prospects in the country.
"They're the two best tackles in America," Shaw said. "Which one is No. 1 and which one is No. 2 might change daily, which is great for us."
The youngsters' promise, though, may have to pan out immediately for Stanford's offense to kick back into top gear. Though Shaw has indicated that Chryst will be the starter if he's healthy by the time the season opener rolls around, it'll be a challenge for the passing game to cohesively progress while he's out in the offseason. That'll put bigger onus not only on Burns and Costello, but especially on running back Bryce Love -- McCaffrey's heir apparent. And that, in turn, will put the spotlight back on Stanford's offensive line.
The Cardinal do hope that their influx of 2017 recruits may be able to immediately add explosiveness to the perimeter, where speedster Michael Rector is gone and where McCaffrey also contributed.
Shaw lauded receiver Osiris St. Brown's hands, and he also expressed excitement about 6-foot-7 target Colby Parkinson, a player he deems the top tight end prospect in the country. Given the combination of his athleticism and size, Parkinson may be an immediate-impact weapon in both the passing and blocking games.
"There's room for guys to contribute right away," Shaw said.
Another one of those ready-made options may be Connor Wedington, a versatile athlete who Stanford envisions using as a Swiss Army knife -- like McCaffrey. Wedington committed to the Cardinal through an elaborate snowboarding video -- the Stanford logo showed on the bottom of his board as he soared through a jump on the slopes -- finalizing the program's 2017 class with an exclamation point.
"It was exciting," Shaw said of the theatrics. "Especially since I had an idea of the school on the bottom of the board. Now, hopefully we put that board away for the next 4-5 years."
Shaw's joke was fitting given the situation, even in a way that he did not intend for it to be: Stanford's offense has no time for snowboarding excursions anymore. The Cardinal will have weapons at their disposal in 2017, but there's a whole mountain of work ahead of them if all the puzzle pieces are to fall properly into place.
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