Troy Taylor was named the Stanford coach on Dec. 10, giving him 10 days to recruit before the start of the early signing period, in addition to keeping the current players from entering the transfer portal and hiring assistants to fill out his staff.

“It’s definitely been busy,” Taylor said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. “But it’s been fun.”

Taylor wound up signing 14 of the 17 players from the Class of 2023 that had committed to Stanford under previous coach David Shaw. In total, 19 players signed letters of intent to play for the Cardinal Wednesday, forming a class that 247Sports ranked as 48th in the FBS and 8th in the Pac-12.

“I was hoping that the whole class wouldn’t de-commit as a group and go out,” Taylor said. “So that’s the worst scenario obviously, but that didn’t happen. So I was pleasantly surprised they hung with the commitment in spite of there being a period of time where there was no coach.”

Taylor offered a scholarship to everyone who had previously committed. After being hired one day after his Sacramento State team lost in the FCS quarterfinals, he was able to talk to the recruits and their families and explain his vision and philosophy for the program.

“Obviously, that’s more challenging when you’ve just been on the job for a week,” Taylor said. “I mean, it’s hard to establish those things in a short amount of time, but all you can do is be yourself and reach out and try and make a connection.”

He said Stanford’s academic reputation helped close the deal, despite the uncertainty.

“I think Stanford is not a transactional relationship with these players,” Taylor said. “It’s not a four-year decision. It’s a 40-year decision or a lifetime decision, where they know it’s going to impact their life for a very long time.”

The class is highlighted by quarterback Myles Jackson, who reclassified from the Class of 2023 and committed two days before Taylor was hired. The Long Beach native is ranked as high as No. 13 at his position nationally by Rivals and enters a program that doesn’t have an established starting QB now that Tanner McKee declared for the NFL Draft.

The class also includes Berkeley High receiver Jackson Harris, who led the state in regular-season receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

Defensively the class is led by Jshawn Frausto-Ramos, a consensus top-40 cornerback from Los Angeles who played on St. John Bosco’s national champions.

Getting high school seniors into the program is even more important at a school like Stanford, whose high academic standards preclude the football program from reloading in the transfer portal. The Cardinal had one transfer on the team last season.

Stanford currently has 17 players in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports’ tracker, including nine who have already committed to other programs. That list includes leading tackler Levani Damuni (Utah), offensive lineman Jake Hornibrook (Duke), Myles Hinton (Michigan) and Drake Nugent (Michigan), defensive captain Jonathan McGill (SMU) and punter Ryan Sanborn (Texas).

Taylor said he is holding spots open for players in the transfer portal in case they decide to return.

2022 STANFORD FOOTBALL SIGNEES

Edge Chip Allers (6-3, 218) Bend, Ore.Led the state of Oregon in sacks and QB pressures in 2022

WR Tiger Bachmeier (6-1, 185) Lake ElsinoreFour-star recruit by Rivals and 247Sports

OL Luke Baklenko (6-6, 295) Thousand OaksRanked No. 29 offensive tackle by 247Sports

WR Ahmari Borden (6-3, 185) Bainbridge, Ga.Ranked No. 34 wide receiver by ESPN

WR Ismael Cisse (6-0, 180) Denver, Colo.Consensus top-10 recruit in Colorado

Edge Carter Davis (6-4, 223) Eagle, IdahoPlans on serving 2-year LDS mission

P/K Aidan Flintoft (6-2, 194) Pacific PalisadesRanked nation’s best P/K by PrepStar

DB Jshawn Frausto-Ramos (6-0, 184) Los AngelesConsensus top-40 CB who led St. John Bosco to a national championship

Edge Gavin Geweniger (6-4, 245) Scottsdale, Ariz.Ranked No. 7 in Arizona by Rivals

WR Jackson Harris (6-3, 190) Berkeley/Berkeley HighState leader in regular-season receiving yards (1,492) and receiving TDs (24)

RB Sedrick Irvin (5-10, 190) Miami, Fla.Led Christopher Columbus High to a state championship

QB Myles Jackson (6-2, 190) Lakewood, Calif.Unanimous top-35 QB who graduated early and reclassified to Class of 2023

DB Aaron Morris (5-11, 186) Lowell, Mass.Emigrated from Jamaica in 2018 after playing for the Jamaican National Cricket Team

OL Simione Pale (6-4, 315) Elk GroveNation’s ninth-best offensive guard by ESPN

Edge Omar Staples (6-3, 230) Oakland/Oakland TechRanked No. 92 in California by PrepStar

OL Charlie Symonds (6-8, 300)  South Kent, Conn.Father Toby played soccer and football at N.C. State

OL Allen Thomason (6-5, 275) Little Rock, Ark.Won four straight football state titles and a wrestling state title

ILB Tre Williams (6-2, 225)  Farmers Branch, TexasFather, Tom, played inside linebacker and coached at Stanford

OL Zak Yamauchi (6-4, 300) Las Vegas, Nev.Plans to serve a two-year mission before attending college