As if the offensive line class for Stanford couldn't get any better with the signings of top tackles, Andrus Peat, Joshua Garnett, and Brandon Fanaika, whom were all All-American selections, the Cardinal received a pleasant surprise with the signing of Kyle Murphy, the No. 3 rated offensive tackle prospect and No. 19 overall on Rivals.com.
Murphy is also the second-best prospect in the state of California.
The product of San Clemente High School, San Clemente, Calif., juggled two schools on his final list, USC and Stanford, before ultimately committing to the Cardinal. The commitment from Andrus Peat, who signed with Stanford earlier today, was thought to have shifted Murphy's decision in favor of USC as recruiting experts thought Murphy would sign with the Cardinal. But those thoughts were put to rest when Murphy flipped the Cardinal hat on at his announcement ceremony at his school.
The thought was that way before USC came closing in on his trail after Murphy officially visited the Trojans on the weekend of Jan. 21.
USC had its last in-home visit with Murphy on Saturday and Pat Haden was believed to be part of the visit.
For more on Kyle Murphy and USC football recruiting, head over to Conquest Chronicles. Click the link for wall-to-wall coverage of 2012 National Signing Day.