A multi-sport standout, Stanback excelled as a receiver and quarterback for the Huskies' football team while also competing on the track team as a sprinter. He fell just shy of setting the school 100-meter dash record. In addition, he was a prep standout in baseball and, despite not playing that game at the collegiate level, the Baltimore Orioles selected him in the 45th round of the 2006 draft.
Because of his athletic ability and just a little over two years of experience at quarterback, many professional teams are eyeing Stanback as a potential wide receiver candidate. His quest to show pro scouts his wares has been sidetracked since mid-October.
Stanback recently got his right foot out of a protective boot, ending a four-month stint on crutches and in a cast in the wake of the severe Lisfranc sprain he suffered against Oregon State at Husky Stadium on Oct. 14, 2006. Despite sitting out the team's final five games, he still earned Husky MVP honors in his final season.
At Garfield High School, Stanback received four votes in the Long Beach Press-Telegram's 2001 "Best in the West" poll. He was selected as one of just three blue chip players by the Seattle Times, becoming the first blue-chip quarterback since 1998 on that list. He was one of eight players named to the Tacoma News-Tribune "Northwest Nuggets" squad. He was also a member of the Tacoma News-Tribune's "Western 100" and earned All-KingCo Conference honors in 2001 and 2000.
Stanback earned Prep Star and Super Prep All-America honors in 2001. He was a member of Prep Star's Top 125 Dream Team and was the No. 5 quarterback in the nation by Super Prep. He was the top-rated player in Super Prep's Washington 22 list and rated No. 14 among all quarterbacks nationally, fourth in the West Region, by Prep Star.
As a senior, he passed for 1,628 yards and 12 touchdowns, adding more than 700 yards and nine scores rushing in 2001 for a 2-7 team. His passing total ranked second among Washington state Class 4A quarterbacks. He had his best game of 2001 against Inglemoor High, totaling 399 yards passing and three touchdowns. As a junior, he tallied 1,653 yards passing with 13 touchdowns. He also starred on the baseball diamond as an outfielder and competed as a sprinter in track.
Stanback enrolled at Washington in 2002, spending the season competing on the scout team as a quarterback. He shifted to the receiving unit in 2003, seeing limited action in two games at quarterback while appearing in 11 contests. He completed both pass attempts for 18 yards and rushed eight times for 25 yards (3.1 avg.). He caught 10 passes for 143 yards (14.3 avg.) and returned eight kickoffs for 133 yards (16.6 avg.).
As a sophomore in 2004, Stanback appeared in seven games, including four at quarterback, starting against Southern California. He totaled 389 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions on 23 of 68 attempts (33.8 percent.). He rushed 41 times for 66 yards (1.6 avg.) and a pair of scores, adding three yards on a reception.
During the 2005 track season, he finished sixth at the West Regional meet at Brigham Young, missing an NCAA Championships berth by just .02 seconds. He ranked among Washington's all-time top-10 in the 100-meter dash (10.48, eighth) and 4x100-meter relay (40.07, seventh) outdoors, and the 60-meter dash (6.80, eighth) indoors. His 100-meter best ranks third all-time among Huskies football players who have competed in track (Ja'Warren Hooker, 10.18; Sterling Hinds, 10.27).
Stanback took over quarterback duties in 2005, starting all 11 games. He completed 143 of 264 passes (54.2 percent) for 2,136 yards, the 15th-best season total in school history. He collected 353 yards with five scores on 100 carries (3.5 avg.) and totaled 2,489 yards, an average of 226.3 yards per game.
After the 2005 football season, he rejoined the Washington track team until 2006 April football camp began. He finished fifth in the 100-meter dash at the 2006 Pac-10 Conference Finals and had his best time in the 100 (10.48) during the year. In June, he was selected in the 45th round of the 2006 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.
On the football field, Stanback started the first seven games of the 2006 season before his right foot injury sidelined him for the rest of the year. He hit on 101 of 189 passes for 1,325 yards, 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He collected 350 yards with four scores on 88 rushing attempts (4.1 avg.). On 274 plays, he piled up 1,675 yards in total offense.
In 36 games, Stanback appeared in 25 contests at quarterback, starting 19 times. He gained 3,868 yards with 22 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 269 of 523 passing (51.4 percent). He added 794 yards with 11 scores on 234 carries (3.4 avg.), adding 145 yards on 12 receptions (12.1 avg.) and returned eight kickoffs for 133 yards (16.6 avg.). On 794 plays, Stanback registered 4662 yards in total offense.
ANALYSIS
Positives: (As a Quarterback) Has a tall, athletic frame with solid overall muscle tone, long arms, well-defined lower body with tapered thighs and knotted calves … Shows good mechanics in his three-step drop back from center to his throwing point, and has the nimble feet to step in and out of the pocket to avoid the rush … Delivers the ball quickly and shows good zip on his short throws … Is inconsistent with his accuracy, but has the arm strength to air the ball out … Shows good wrist flick to get the ball off with minimal weight transfer … Has the vision to recognize defensive coverage and retains plays well … Shows good courage stepping up in the pocket and gets valid yardage on designed running plays (has trouble with broken plays, though) … Has command in the huddle and makes good pre-snap calls … When given a chance to throw, he shows good zip on short-to-intermediate tosses … When he sets his feet properly, he is capable of hitting receivers in stride on deep throws … Adequate at scanning the field to locate secondary targets … Very effective scrambling with the ability to throw from either hashes when rolling out … Has the size to scan the field without having his site obstructed by defensive linemen and is an efficient scrambler with the loose hips and moves to make the initial tackler miss … Has the lower-body strength to break tackles and is effective at generating play-action to fool an unsuspecting defender.
(As a Receiver) Athletic open-field runner with very good acceleration off the snap … Has the hand strength to defeat the press and shows good hand/eye coordination tracking the ball in flight … Maintains balance and body control throughout the route … Long strider who is quick to gain and eat up the defender's cushion … Efficient on linear routes, as he can keep his pads low and generate speed cuts to separate … Gets into position down field and is alert to boundaries … Able to extend and pluck the ball outside his frame … Maintains concentration competing for jump balls … Has the natural ball skills to adjust in his route and times his leaps well to get to the ball at its high point … With his second gear, he is capable of taking a short crossing route the distance … Effective in mirroring as a blocker.
Negatives: (As a Quarterback) Needs to refine his foot work, as he is not consistent at setting his feet before throwing and sometimes hops driving back from center rather than striding … Has a bit of a hitch in his delivery that tends to throw his timing off … Relies too much on his feet, looking to bail often rather than sit in the pocket waiting for the play to develop … When he forces his throws on the move, he fails to set before firing, causing some of his passes to sail … Needs to learn how to vary the speed on his underneath throws (throws too hard for the receiver to catch the ball cleanly) … Showed improvement in 2006, but needs to look off his primary target quicker, as he is slow to make progression reads … His passing motion is affected when he fails to distribute his weight properly (will throw off his back foot) … Alert to defensive coverage, but will still force the ball into tight areas, especially when flushed out of the pocket (needs to throw the ball away more often) … At times, you have to question his vision, as he doesn't see the defenders who can impact the play … While he has good arm strength, he will revert to uncorking the ball rather than trying to feather it over the defender's head to the outside shoulder of his receiver.