Stanford coach David Shaw on Wednesday enthusiastically described all 22 players who signed letters of intent as part of another well-regarded recruiting class. He was slightly less eager to discuss a player who might be leaving the program.

Cornerback Wayne Lyons is reportedly considering a transfer to Michigan, where he would play one season (as a graduate student) for former Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh.

“For those guys going into their fifth year that want the opportunity to play someplace else,” Shaw said, “I’ve never said no, never tried talk anybody out of it.”

Lyons, who started seven games last season, would add to the list of departed defensive backs that includes all-conference safety Jordan Richards and honorable mention all-league cornerback Alex Carter.

Coincidentally, the Cardinal’s 2015 recruiting class, which was ranked No. 18 nationally by Rivals and No. 25 by Scout, is heavy on defensive backs — in large part due to signing day developments.

Stanford had 20 prospects locked up before the day began. To that group it added two players who waited until Wednesday to commit. Both were defensive backs: Quenton Meeks, a cornerback from San Diego who picked Stanford over Cal and Vanderbilt, and Justin Reid, a safety from Prairieville, Louisiana, and the brother of 49ers safety Eric Reid.

They joined cornerback Frank Buncom IV of San Diego and safety Ben Edwards of Jacksonville to form a decorated group. All four were tagged as 4-star prospects by at least one of the major recruiting services.

“There are guys in the class that have unique skill sets that could get them on the field in a hurry,” Shaw said.

That’s true not only of the secondary but also the defensive line, which is perilously thin after losing three starters. The top returnee, Aziz Shittu, is coming off a severe knee injury, and nobody else could be considered a proven commodity.

The newcomers up front are end Dylan Jackson and tackle Wesley Annan, described by Shaw as “a guy we’ve been looking for to be a big run stopper.”

Annan, who attended high school in the Chicago area, did not receive any scholarship offers from the Big Ten heavyweights. Jackson reportedly had offers from Alabama and LSU, but at 250 pounds, he must put on weight in a hurry to make an impact in the fall.

“One of the young defensive linemen will most likely play,” Shaw said. “We’re not deep there and we recruited those guys out of need.”

Although he’s not in high school, linebacker Sean Barton could be considered part of the incoming class.Barton signed with Stanford in 2013 and has spent the past two years on a church mission in Africa. He returns this summer and will join the freshmen. At the same time, two players in the class of 2015 will head off on missions before enrolling: fullback Houston Heimuli and outside linebacker Gabe Reid.

Fullback Reagan Williams, of Jackson, Ohio, was also recruited by Michigan. Asked about the possibility of recruiting against Harbaugh in the future, Shaw said: “That is going to get played up over the next year. I’m sure there are going to be multiple guys we’re (both) going after. I would never, ever negatively recruit against coach Harbaugh or Michigan or anybody else. That’s just not how we do things.”

Stanford signed one player from the Bay Area: Jack Dreyer, a 6-foot-8 offensive tackle from Serra High School in San Mateo. “He can get into a full squat at the drop of a hat,” Shaw said of Dreyer’s agility.