One of the top recruits out of Alabama is heading a long way across the country.
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On Monday, four-star defensive end Ryan Johnson (6-foot-3, 253 pounds, Mobile. Al.) made a surprise commitment when he spurned both Alabama schools in favor of a commitment to Stanford.
Related: Five-star recruit Dylan Moses knew the exact moment he was going to commit
Johnson had taken official visits to Auburn, Texas, and Stanford, and the defensive end had been considered a heavy-Auburn lean according to 247Sports' Crystal Ball. However, Johnson will instead be heading out west to join the 2017 class at Stanford.
That class, by the way, is small with only 14 commitments. However, that class is full of extremely quality recruits, and the Cardinal rank as the No. 11 class in the nation per 247Sports. Head coach David Shaw has put together a helluva class for Stanford, which is an impressive feat considering their academic standards.
