4-star QB Elijah Brown commits to Stanford Cardinal

Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei four-star quarterback Elijah Brown has announced his commitment to Stanford. He chose the Cardinal over UCLA.

Brown is the No. 63 overall prospect and No. 7 quarterback in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 6 player in California.

“Stanford’s definitely showing a lot of interest,” Brown told On3’s Chad Simmons on Feb. 13. 

“I took a trip last year with my dad and one of my teammates up to Stanford and that was a nice visit.”

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound signal-caller went to Palo Alto on April 7-8 before returning on the weekend of June 2 for an official visit.

“Probably the culture for the school and how much they care for their players,” Brown told Simmons about what matters to him in a school. “That’s gonna play a big role in my decision and then also, making sure the offense is something that I want to be a part of.”

Stanford is starting to pick up steam on the recruiting trail

Brown’s pledge to Stanford was just the latest win on the recruiting trail for the Cardinal.

While the class stayed stagnant early in the year, it has picked up a lot of momentum in June with pledges from a trio of four-star recruits. Brown joins Miami (Fla.) Christopher Columbus High School four-star EDGE Dylan Stephenson and Oakland (Calif.) Fremont Senior four-star linebacker Naki Tuakoi, who announced their commitments to head coach Troy Taylor and his staff earlier in the week.

Those three highlight a class for Stanford that currently has 20 commitments. The Cardinal’s group ranks No. 20 in the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings and No. 2 in the Pac-12.

This class is well ahead of where it finished during the 2023 cycle. Stanford only signed 18 recruits, none of them blue-chips, and finished with the No. 42 class in the country.

“When you hear the name, it rings different types of bells than just football,” Stephenson told Simmons on June 13. “The academics played a huge part into my decision. It is a top three education in the world. Between the education and playing high quality, I loved it. The Pac 12 throws the ball a lot, so it is a great conference for EDGEs like me to play in. I like the scheme, the academics and the overall fit.”