Jim Harbaugh’s recruiting ethos can be summarized in one phrase: the Forty-Year Decision. The message is clear: instead of choosing a school solely for its football program, pick your college based also on the strength of the education (and the degree) it provides. If high school athletes adhere to that mentality, then there are few universities that can compete with Stanford’s total package.

That mantra has sparked a resurgence in the Cardinal’s recruiting prowess, and it has landed perhaps Harbaugh’s biggest whale yet: linebacker James Vaughters of Tucker High School in Tucker, Ga. Vaughters, who committed to Stanford on June 17, is a Rivals.com and Scout.com four-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 5 and No. 7 inside linebacker, respectively, in the Class of 2011. Vaughters’ offer list included nearly every relevant football program of the past decade–according to analysis performed by Andy Drukarev of The Bootleg, the last Cardinal player who received comparable interest was Ekom Udofia in 2005.

But Vaughers ended his recruitment relatively early in the process and committed to Stanford, in large part because of what he found when he looked beyond the football field.

“One thing I realized is that Stanford, out of all of the schools I was looking at, has <I>the<P>great academic opportunities. I feel like the people that are there are like me,” he said.

“When I talk about Stanford now, it’s harder for me to think about things as far as football goes, as opposed to getting excited about the lifestyle of the school,” he continued. “Which isn’t to say that the football program isn’t something to be excited about–it is, I can’t wait to play there–but there are so many things besides football that are going on out there. I knew that if I got hurt, I’d want to be at Stanford, and that’s when I knew.”

Vaughters reports a 4.0 GPA and what is described as an “Ivy League-caliber SAT score.” In other words, he’s a lock for admission–the coaching staff has told him as much–although he’s constantly reworking his application essays and may retake the SAT because he “want[s] to make sure that it’s right.”

For such an academically inclined athlete–he wants to major in architectural design, a time-intensive program–it would be reasonable to assume that Stanford was always on his radar. But that was hardly the case with Vaughters. Growing up in the University of Georgia’s backyard and in the heart of SEC football country, where the sport is akin to religion, he initially had his eyes focused on Florida and Alabama, the last two BCS champions. It was not until his father, Jonathan, encouraged him to look west that he first considered the Cardinal. He took one unofficial visit, then another. He was hooked.

“Surprisingly, I loved it,” he said. “Once I got out there, it was a great experience.”

The trip changed his mindset, too.

“When you begin the process, you see who is winning the championships every year,” he said. “You wonder why you wouldn’t want to go to a school that wins championships consistently. But I want to be part of something special. I want to be part of a team that wins a national championship. I don’t want to file in and be part of a school that does that all the time.”

It is safe to say, then, that it wasn’t just academics that drew him in–ultimately, the juxtaposition of a rising football program with the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision’s top academic program was enough to woo Vaughters away from the perennial powers. He is excited about defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s switch to a 3-4 defense, which could allow Vaughters, who currently plays inside, to move to the outside.

“I want to play the outside linebacker spot in the 3-4 defense so I can both drop back against the pass and rush the quarterback,” he said. “Since I started playing football, one of the things I’ve always dreamed about is the ability to rush the passer.”

At nearly 6’3” and over 230 pounds, Vaughters prides himself on his combination of speed and strength. Scout.com’s Chad Simmons states that “he reads and reacts quickly, he uses his hands well and he plays a very smart game of football.”

That’s a skill set that the Cardinal can certainly use–the staff’s subsequent enthusiasm demonstrated as much. Due to compliance rules, coaches cannot comment on a recruit until after they sign their Letter of Intent, but Vaughters said that when he called Harbaugh to tell him his decision, he could “hear the coaches cheering in the background, and I could tell they were as excited as I was.”

Until February’s Signing Day, Vaughters can still switch his verbal commitment, and Stanford has suffered losses in the past after players have had a change of heart. But Vaughters insisted, emphatically, that his recruitment is over.
“I’m done with the process. I liked a lot of the schools, but when I look at the schools that are made for me, Stanford is the only one that comes to mind.”