Because of injuries in the defensive line, the Stanford football coaches needed to burn somebody’s redshirt year last year. It was either going to be Harrison Phillips or Solomon Thomas.
They picked Phillips because of his superior size and strength.
Now both players will make their first collegiate starts in Saturday’s opener at Northwestern.
“We’re going to get some answers to a lot of questions this Saturday,’’ defensive line coach Randy Hart said.
Phillips’ lack of bulk as a freshman didn’t help him in games. “I started at 252, but as the season went on, after games and losing water weight, I’d be down to 246 or 248.