STANFORD — Some quarterbacks might get upset when they push the team inside the 5-yard line, only to have someone else come in to finish the possession. But Stanford junior Ashton Daniels said he was grateful when run-first quarterback Justin Lamson sometimes took control of the offense in the red zone last season.
“It helps you not get beat up in those short-yardage situations, on the goal line,” Daniels said. “You don’t take all the hits, and it saves your body. I’m always grateful for the people who take on that role.”
That team-oriented attitude and positive thinking has helped Daniels, who once again finds himself in open competition during fall camp despite starting 10 games last season.
Less than a week before the Cardinals host TCU in the season opener on Friday, Stanford coach Troy Taylor has yet to announce a starter between Daniels, Lamson and freshman Elijah Brown.
“Ashton is a really good player, he had a really good camp,” said Taylor, who is also the quarterbacks coach. “Justin had a great fall camp, and Elijah had a great camp, too. The competition in our program is going to be felt at every position.”
Taylor can line up multiple QBs in a game, as he did 11 times last season.
“I always use that as a motivator,” Daniels said. “I know I can’t settle for that, that the job isn’t done, that I have to keep getting better every day. That’s pushed me and pushed everybody in the quarterback room. They know that’s an open position.”
But Daniels should be the one taking the first snaps. He completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 2,247 yards and 11 touchdowns (against eight interceptions) last season, his first as a starter, with five passes of 40-plus yards. He also finished with 292 rushing yards, the second-most rushing yards in the Pac-12 by a quarterback, behind Lamson.
Daniels threw for 367 yards, ran for 81 yards and recorded three touchdowns against eventual national championship runner-up Washington and threw for 396 yards and four touchdowns in a double-overtime victory over Colorado.
During the offseason, he said he had more confidence in running the offense, developing chemistry with his receivers and being consistent in his reads in his second year under Taylor. He also focused on his footwork during the offseason after taking too many sacks in 2023.
“My footwork has allowed me to read the ball quicker and throw it on time,” Daniels said. “It’s also helped me be more accurate. I was a little sloppy with my footwork last year.”
Aside from physical development, Daniels has also taken on a leadership role. When the team had a disappointing practice last Friday, it was Daniels who pulled the offense together and told them to get it together.
Daniels’ development and offensive prowess weren’t enough to change expectations for Stanford in its new conference. After three straight 3-9 seasons, the Cardinal were picked to finish last out of 17 teams in the ACC preseason media poll.
“We like being the underdog because it makes us work harder,” Daniels said. “It’s something we put aside and save for later, so that when we’re out there and we’re successful, we can always bring it out as a little piece of evidence.”
After beating Lamson in fall camp last season, Daniels got a push from Brown this time around. The early recruit went 42-2 as a four-year starter at Mater Dei and was ranked the No. 7 quarterback prospect in the country by Rivals.
“He was here for spring football, which helped,” Taylor said. “His demeanor is really good, he’s very accurate, he’s got incredible anticipation, and his demeanor is really the same. He’s not very high or very low — he kind of stays in that (middle) zone which is what you want from a quarterback.”
Brown went 42-2 as a four-year starter at Southern California powerhouse Mater Dei and quickly adapted to the speed and size of college defenses.
“He has so much confidence in his abilities, not in an arrogant way, just a quiet confidence,” Taylor said. “And he has great anticipation and he’s extremely accurate, and that translates across the board.”
The Cardinal will face a tough environment regardless of who plays under center. They’ll have to face new opponents and travel more often with only one All-ACC first-teamer in preseason receiver Elic Ayomanor. But Daniels points to last season’s game against Colorado as proof that the Cardinal can push through.
Stanford trailed 29-0 at halftime in Boulder, the largest halftime deficit ever overcome in the Pac-12.
“We know what we can do, we know our potential,” Daniels said. “I hope we never find ourselves in that situation again where we’re down 29 points, but we know that no matter what happens, we can still fight as long as we believe and trust in our process.”
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