Stanford's secondary was a question mark early in the season, but an unlikely energy source has emerged … the Cardinal defensive backfield is now fueled by Hoffpauir.
until the past few weeks, junior free safety
Zach Hoffpauir was known most as a big hitter with speed on the Cardinal baseball team, where he hit .325 for 7 home runs and 35 RBIs as a sophomore.
he had shown flashes of playmaking ability on the gridiron, but only in limited opportunities as a White Special Teams Demon and spot duty as a nickel corner. but since he was inserted into the starting lineup against the Washington Huskies, Hoffpauir has shown that he's still a big hitter in centerfield. only this time his helmet has a face mask. and his ability to make plays on the ball in the air is still very much in effect.
in just 3 games as a starter, Hoffpauir has 15 solo tackles (21 total), 2 tackles-for-loss, and a team-high 4 pass break-ups. he has terrific closing speed and a nose for the ball. perhaps his 15-tackle, 2 pass break-up performance against Washington State was the emergence of a premier player.
