Football: Toner, Sanborn give Cardinal something to kick about

By John Reid

Card Reider

On Twitter @cardreider1

STANFORD – Stanford tries to get its first Pac-12 win Saturday when it travels to Corvallis, Ore., to face Oregon State. Doing their part to fight for field position are junior placekicker Jet Toner and punter Ryan Sanborn, a true freshman. Toner wears No. 26, while Sanborn dons No. 27.

Stanford punter Ryan Sanborn had season-best 57-yard punt vs. Oregon

Toner, who handles kickoffs, is 7 of 10 on field goal tries, scoring 26 of Stanford’s 70 points, Sanborn was a busy man in last Saturday’s 21-6 loss to Oregon, punting six times, booting a long of 57 yards, averaging 42.7 yards per punt. Sanborn has punted 19 times for an average of 39.7 yards per punt.

Toner was instrumental in Stanford’s upset victory at U of Oregon last season, nailing a 32-yard field goal at the end of regulation to force overtime.

“Honestly, they are all the same,” Toner said. “I treat every kick the same, like in practice. Whether I’m here in the summer, here during practice or in the game. It’s the same amount of pressure. I don’t let anyone else put pressure on me besides myself.”

Placekicker Jet Toner had career-best 51-yard FG vs. Northwestern

Toner, Stanford’s field goal kicker the past two seasons, is working with a true freshman holder, Alex Gracey, out of Atlanta. Last year, Jake Bailey was the holder. Gracey competed with Sanborn and Collin Riccitelli for the top punting job.

“Alex just jumped in and he is doing well,” said Toner of Gracey. “That’s an important relationship. We spent a lot the offseason building that trust. He has done a good job.”

Toner prepped at the Punahou School in Honolulu, alma mater of former U.S. President Barack Obama. Toner is listed at 6-foot-4, tall for a kicker. When he takes his helmet off, he looks like he is back in Hawaii with flowing brown hair, his neck surrounded by necklaces.

“My mom gave me all these,” Toner said. “I’ve been wearing them forever.”

Toner claims to not have any superstitions like many kickers do.

“I don’t have any superstitions,” Toner said “It’s just a process of clearing my mind, trusting what I do. Let my technique take over.

He has been on the Lou Groza watch since he came to Stanford. Toner has kicked off 17 times this season, booting seven for touchbacks.

“It’s just another thing added to the workload,” Toner said. “A few things I need to clean up. It’s just consistency, giving us good balls to cover downfield.”

Toner has a big family with five siblings. Sister Jensen played soccer at USC, while brother Leo was a soccer player at UC Irvine. Toner’s grandfather, Walter Benjamin Reinhold, is a Stanford graduate, class of 1950.

Toner’s greatest achievement thus far this season was booting a career-best 51-yard field goal vs. Northwestern, moments after quarterback K.J. Costello was knocked out on a late hit right seconds before halftime. Stanford went on for a 17-7 victory, its only win of the year.

Sanborn’s greatest achievement in his early days Down on the Farm was out-dueling Gracey and Riccitelli.

“We competed all the way through camp,” Sanborn said. “Alex and Collin, two great punters. We went back-and-forth the whole camp. At the end, they decided on who it was. Competing against them made me better. It’s great to be out here with two great punters. I pick and choose their skills and copy that.”

Biggest challenge for Sanborn has been “the transition from high school to college.”

“The college game is a lot faster,” Sanborn said. “Our snapper has been great, getting the ball back to me in a good spot. It’s me who has to get it off in a good time with a great rotation for the ball.”

San Diego is a hotbed for standout kickers and Sanborn – out of Francis Parker High – was one of the more highly touted. He played in the 2019 All-American Bowl with PrepStar rating him the No. 2 kicker in the nation. Sanborn was chosen the San Diego Section kicker of the year.

Stanford is off to a disappointing 1-3 start, something Sanborn is fully aware of.

“It starts with everyone doing their individual part,” Sanborn said. “There is always room to improve. I’m focused on what I can do best to help the team. I need to get good hang time and the right direction.”

Sanborn had the unenviable job of following Bailey, one of the best punters in Stanford history, if not the best.

“Jake is, obviously, a great punter,” Sanborn said. “I grew up with him. He was 10 minutes away from me. He set a standard for great punting at Stanford. He’s the guy I based my technique off of. I can mirror that.”