Redell Shaping Up for Stanford : MVP Showing Reaffirms Status as a Top Quarterback Prospect

Despite boasting such illustrious alumni as John Elway, John Brodie and Jim Plunkett, the closest Stanford has come to having a legendary name at quarterback in the past two years has been Kay Tittle, niece of former NFL star Y. A. Tittle and a former member of the Cardinal tennis team.

Uncharacteristically for Stanford, four different quarterbacks have started at various times during the past two seasons, and a fifth, redshirt freshman Steve Smith, has been named the starter after spring practice.

Friday night, after being named the most valuable player of the Daily News All-Star Game, Stanford recruit Ron Redell of Crespi High served notice that he’s ready to throw his helmet into the quarterback huddle.

Redell does not expect to immediately answer all the Cardinal’s quarterback questions; in fact, he expects to redshirt his first year. But he did turn some heads in leading the West squad to a 21-18 win.

“I thought it was a team effort,” said Redell, who ran for a touchdown and threw for another. “I thought I played well.”

It did not hurt that Redell was running a familiar offense. His father, former Crespi Coach Bill Redell, coached the West squad, and the team ran a simplified version of the Crespi offense.

Redell believes that his knowledge of the Crespi system will make it easier to assimilate the offense of new Stanford Coach Dennis Green, a former San Francisco 49er assistant.

“It’s the same offense the 49ers run, and it’s really sort of the same offense Crespi ran,” Redell said of the Stanford attack. “It’s more complex, but if you run it well, you’ll score.”

In preparing for his freshman season, Redell has been working out during the summer and helping coach quarterbacks at Westlake High. The Stanford staff checks in with him every couple of weeks, and he reports that he has been following his prescribed drills “to a T.”

However, Redell is well-aware that he will be doing more at Stanford than playing football.

“They say it’s the Harvard of the West, so I’m excited about going up there,” Redell said. “I’ve always wanted to go up there. They really don’t have to sell you. The school sells itself.”

Redell said that he may eventually go to law school and plans to major in political science.

He will have begun his Stanford education long before the other freshmen arrive for orientation, though. Rookie camp begins Aug. 8, more than a month and a half before classes commence.

Redell will have a chance to measure his skills against fellow freshman quarterback John Lynch of Torrey Pines and the four returning quarterbacks in the relative anonymity of a nearly empty campus.

“I want to go in there and compete to the best of my ability,” said Redell, who passed for 1,662 yards and nine touchdowns as a Crespi senior. “I’m definitely looking to start. I think everyone would like to start, but I’m just going in there with an open mind.”

Redell has one more football commitment before he goes to Stanford. He is scheduled to play in the Shrine Game on July 29 in the Rose Bowl. It will be the last time he lines up on the same side of the football with Crespi teammate Russell White.

White is bound for Cal, Stanford’s cross-bay rival. Crespi’s dynamic duo now will become involved in the battle for the Axe, the perpetual trophy at stake in the “Big Game.”

“I always give him a bad time that we’re going to beat them every year,” Redell said. “I’m looking forward to playing against Russell in the future.”