Stanford has been buoyed by some outstanding fifth-year seniors the past five years as it has risen in the national football rankings. Inside linebacker A.J. Tarpley, a fifth-year senior on everyone’s watch list, should be one of the leaders of the defense in 2014.

Tarpley, from Plymouth, Minn., has 215 career tackles and 4.5 career sacks. He was second on the team in tackles last season with 93. The 6-foot-2, 238-pound Tarpley is on Phil Steele’s preseason All-American third team and is a preseason all-Pac-12 first-team pick.

“A.J. Tarpley is a phenomenal football player,” said Cardinal coach David Shaw, entering his fourth season. “He has been overshadowed in the past, to a certain degree. Football people who watch A.J. Tarpley know he’s going to be one of the best linebackers in the nation this year. He is going to take his game to the next level.”

“The goals for the whole level of success don’t change,” Tarpley said. “That goes for each individual position group, offense, defense, down to the players. My goal every year is to be the best linebacker in college football. I’m hungry to prove something. Everything I’ve done is in the past.”

Tarpley’s counterpart on the inside, Shayne Skov, is trying to land a spot with the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent. The battle to replace Skov is between Joe Hemschoot, Blake Martinez and Noor Davis.

“It’s going to be decided in camp,” Tarpley said. “Joe has played inside and outside linebacker. He’s a utility player, a great athlete. Blake Martinez has had one of the best offseasons of anyone on our team. He’s ready to go out and prove himself.”

“Blake Martinez and Joe Hemschoot were phenomenal in the spring,” Shaw said. “Noor Davis came out of nowhere. I feel comfortable with all those guys playing.”

In addition to Skov, the defense lost Ben Gardner, Josh Mauro, Trent Murphy and Ed Reynolds to the NFL, but Tarpley doesn’t feel there will be much of a drop-off on the defensive side of the ball.

“I’ve witnessed it on the defense the last three years,” Tarpley said. “We lose guys each year. When I go, they’re not going to sit here and worry how I left and how they are going to replace me. It makes the guys behind them hungrier. The linebacking corps is going to be one of the best in the country.”

Stanford opens at home with UC Davis on Aug. 30 at 1 p.m. In 2005, the Aggies came in to Stanford Stadium and shocked the Cardinal 20-17. The Aggies were in a transition year of moving from Division II to Division I at the time, making it all the more of an upset.

Stanford hosts USC in the Pac-12 opener Sept. 6, but Tarpley vows the Cardinal won’t overlook the Aggies.

“The focus great teams have is on the team they’re playing that week,” Tarpley said. “You’re playing that team that week and that’s all you can control. UC Davis is the one team we have scheduled and that’s the one team we’re concentrating on.”

Stanford has led the country in sacks the past two years.

“It’s talent, coaching and playing as a team,” Tarpley said. “We’re more worried about the team. We all want to get a sack every play. But, if we just do our job, things will turn out right.”

Darrin Nelson, who rushed for 4,169 yards at Stanford (1977-78, ’80-81), will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Dec. 9 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. Nelson was a first-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 1982. Gary Cavalli, President of the San Francisco Bowl Game Association, was head of the Sports Information Department at Stanford when Nelson arrived on the Farm. Speaking to a media gathering Wednesday, Cavalli told the story of how then Stanford football coach Bill Walsh discovered Nelson was a fair running back. “Darrin was a defensive back,” Cavalli said. “Robby Chapman was the guy they had earmarked to be the big running back star. Darrin’s coach in high school had extracted a promise from Bill (Walsh). ‘Yeah, you can recruit him as a defensive back, but you have to promise me you’ll give him one day at fall practice at running back.’ “ That one day came and Nelson didn’t miss his opportunity, catching the eye of Walsh. “One day, I was in the office when Bill knocked on my door and said, ‘I found my running back.’ I said, ‘Who’s that?’ He said, ‘This kid, Darrin Nelson. We put him in today and nobody has touched him, yet.’ “

Lance Anderson is the Cardinal’s new defensive coordinator, also coaching the outside linebackers. Anderson replaces Derek Mason, new head coach at Vanderbilt.

Former Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard moved from running backs coach to quarterbacks and wide receivers coach for the Cardinal.