Two days after David Shaw became Stanford's head coach, in January 2011, the school had a big recruiting weekend. Among the prospective players on campus was Devon Cajuste, an imposing 6-foot-4 wide receiver from Seaford, N.Y.

To hear Shaw tell the story, his get-acquainted conversation with Cajuste lasted less than 10 seconds.

Cajuste: "Coach, are you going to move me to tight end?"

Shaw: "No."

Cajuste: "OK, I'm coming to Stanford."

That chat conveys how desperately Cajuste wanted to remain at wide receiver - or maybe how desperately he wanted to avoid tight end, where he routinely would grapple with larger defensive players.

More than 2 1/2 years later, finally, Shaw's decision is starting to look shrewd. Cajuste not only made his first career start in Saturday night's season-opening win over San Jose State, he also caught three passes for 62 yards and scored his first career touchdown.

That play, on Stanford's inaugural possession of 2013, helps explain why Cajuste could thrive at wide receiver. He showed his strength in fighting through "press" coverage at the line of scrimmage, and he showed striking speed in zooming behind the secondary to snare Kevin Hogan's pass for a 40-yard score.

Now one game doesn't make Cajuste a star, and he did make all three of his catches in the first quarter (meaning the Spartans bottled him up thereafter). But his splashy debut as a starter bodes well for the Cardinal, as they try to balance their power running game with occasional downfield passes.

Cajuste's desire to play wide receiver traces to the recruiting trail, where nine schools made him scholarship offers - and all but Stanford wanted to move him to tight end. They saw his size and made a quick and logical judgment, much to his dismay.

"I guess it was just about giving me a shot," Cajuste said Tuesday. "Don't shoot me down without giving me an opportunity. ... The glory of the big catch is applied more at wide receiver, and tight end would be an even match at my size. It's such a huge advantage being on the outside."

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Even so, it's understandable why so many college coaches envisioned Cajuste at tight end. His solid 228-pound frame seems built for the position, giving him an honest chance to block defensive ends and linebackers.

But Cajuste's speed makes him unique. He figures it came from his dad, Gregory, who played football and basketball in his younger days before joining the Marine Corps. Gregory Cajuste was even fast enough to occasionally outrace the family dog.

Devon simply needs to outrace opposing defensive backs.

"He's huge, he's physical and he's got deceiving speed," quarterback Kevin Hogan said. "He ran a beautiful route on the touchdown - he wasn't running full speed until he made his cut. ... He's a monster right now."

Or, as running back Tyler Gaffney said succinctly, "He's a freak athlete."

Cajuste, who described himself as a European mutt (his surname is French Italian), is a freak athlete with a sense of humor. His Twitter handle is@speedracer13193, in honor of his favorite childhood cartoon.

Maybe he wouldn't be so good-natured if Shaw had moved him to tight end, a change Shaw acknowledged can be "traumatic" for a high school wide receiver.

"You're going to spend a good chunk of time putting your face in someone else's shoulder pads," he said. "Devon could do it - but what he can do with his size outside, you don't find that everywhere."

Briefly: Stanford's home game against Oregon on Nov. 7 is sold out, the school announced. All mini-season ticket plans also are sold out, and only a small number of individual-game tickets remain for Arizona State (Sept. 21), Washington (Oct. 5) and Cal (Nov. 23). ... The Stanford-ASU game will begin at 4 p.m. and will be televised nationally on Fox.