A solid group of 2019 Stanford recruits just got better, thanks to Elijah Higgins, who committed shortly before the three-day early-signing period began Wednesday.

How good is the 6-foot-3, 215-pound wide receiver from Kyle, Texas?

“The obvious comparisons are with JJ Arcega-Whiteside,” head coach David Shaw said. “We made those comparisons as well.”

Higgins was among 21 players who signed with the Cardinal, a group that Shaw said is “a very versatile class, a bigger class than we’ve had recently.”

The early-signing period, in its second year, put pressure on Stanford candidates to, among other things, take advanced-placement courses as sophomores and juniors.

“These guys were able to handle the extra hoops we asked them to jump through — and jump through them earlier,” he said.

The Stanford group was rated 18th in the nation by 247Sports, 19th by Rivals and 21st by ESPN. All three services ranked Stanford’s contingent third in the Pac-12 behind Oregon’s and Washington’s.

Signed with Stanford Pos. Player High school Ht. Wt. TE Bradley Archer Livermore 6-4 240 WR Colby Bowman St. John Bosco-Bellflower (L.A. County) 6-2 191 C Branson Bragg Crandall, Texas 6-4 295 OLB Aeneas DiCosmo Bergen Catholic-Oradell, N.J. 6-3 219 WR Marcus Graham Mountain Island-Mount Holly, N.C. 5-11 170 DE Stephen Herron Jr. Trinity-Louisville, Ky. 6-4 244 WR Elijah Higgins Bowie-Austin, Texas 6-3 214 OL Jake Hornibrook Malvern (Pa.) Prep 6-4 273 RB Austin Jones Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland 5-11 190 CB Kyu Blu Kelly Bishop Gorman-Las Vegas 6-0 160 CB Zahran Manley Upland (San Bernardino County) 6-1 175 CB/S Jonathan McGill Coppell, Texas 5-9 169 OT Barrett Miller Eaglecrest-Aurora, Colo. 6-5 255 C Drake Nugent Highlands Ranch, Colo. 6-2 270 DE Joshua Pakola St. Francis-Mountain View 6-5 257 RB Nathaniel Peat Rock Bridge-Columbia, Mo. 5-9 179 OT Walter Rouse Sidwell Friends-Washington, D.C. 6-6 276 K Ryan Sanborn Parker Poly-Los Angeles 6-2 195 OLB Tristan Sinclair San Ramon Valley-Danville 6-2 202 CB Nicolas Toomer Sandy Creek-Tyrone, Ga. 6-1 176 CB/S Salim Turner-Muhammad Episcopal-Alexandria, Va. 6-0 177

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Unfortunately for Stanford, those are its main competitors in the North Division.

The class was heavy on offensive linemen (five) and defensive backs (six). It’s possible Stanford will sign somebody else in the traditional signing period that begins Feb. 6, Shaw said, but the class basically is finished.

Shaw said Higgins’ videos reminded him of former Stanford receiver Devan Cajuste as well as Arcega-Whiteside, a junior who is widely expected to turn pro after the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.

Another wide receiver in the crop is 6-2 Colby Bowman of the St. John Bosco-Bellflower powerhouse in Los Angeles County. “He runs great routes and is going to remind a lot of people of Trent Irwin,” he said.

The speed burner of the three receivers is Marcus Graham of Charlotte, N.C. “You put the ball in his hands, and at any point in time, it’s a long touchdown,” Shaw said. “This guy’s got juice and legitimate speed.”

Both running backs, Austin Jones of Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland and Nathaniel Peat of Columbia, Mo., “get the tough yards but, at the same time, have big-play ability,” he said.

He didn’t want to discuss which players will make the biggest contributions as freshmen. Two candidates are outside linebackers Stephen Herron of New Albany, Ind., and Joshua Pakola of St. Francis. Pakola “has been terrorizing offensive players for years,” Shaw said.

He acknowledged that Stanford’s pass rush was generally subpar this season.

One position not represented in this class is quarterback. Unlike many head coaches, Shaw is not inclined to take one every year. He doesn’t believe in stockpiling QBs.

“You’re creating an environment where you’re living in a false world, because those guys are going to transfer,” he said. “So you’re bringing in guys, knowing that guys are going to leave. I like to be very selective. I don’t ever want to take a quarterback just to take a quarterback. We want one we truly believe in.”

The risk is that injuries might leave a team shorthanded, as happened last spring when injuries to K.J. Costello and Davis Mills, following the graduate-transfer of Keller Chryst to Tennessee, left the Cardinal with only walk-on Jack Richardson.

Shaw wasn’t moved by that predicament. “Nobody cares what we do in the spring,” he said. “It’s all about the fall.” He said he’s “very comfortable” with his process of recruiting quarterbacks.

He reserved some of his most effusive praise for Tristan Sinclair, an inside linebacker from San Ramon Valley-Danville.

“When you watch him, you sit on the edge of your seat,” he said. “He plays with such passion and energy. He’s quick and explosive. He makes tackles all over the field. … The guy has a nose for the football.”

Of the “star” grading system employed by the recruiting services, Shaw said, “They should print them on toilet paper so they’d get some use. Those things mean absolutely nothing.”

Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald