LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. -- One day before the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback camp is set to begin, Keller Chryst (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto), the No. 1-ranked pocket-passer in the Class of 2014's ESPN 300, verbally committed to Stanford.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder chose Stanford over offers from Alabama, Arizona, USC and Pittsburgh, where his uncle, Paul Chryst, is the head coach.
Chryst said he believed his hometown school was the best fit for him.
"I just felt like it was the best decision for me overall," Chryst said Friday. "Every school had their own strong points, and I just felt like I fit in best at Stanford."
The Cardinal have produced great quarterbacks such as Jim Plunkett, John Elway and Andrew Luck. Chryst hopes to be the next.
"It's great," Chryst said. "It's very humbling to even be mentioned with those guys. It's kind of exciting just thinking about what could happen in the future."
Chryst said Stanford coach David Shaw was excited to hear of his commitment.
"He was on vacation, so he couldn't talk long, but he was ecstatic," Chryst said.
Chryst, the No. 21-ranked player in the country, took over the No. 1 pocket-passer ranking from David Cornwell in the new ESPN rankings released last week.
"Stanford is getting a player that works hard and does everything he can to be the best. Even if you fail, or get knocked down, you have to keep trying," Chryst said.
The Cardinal now have seven verbal commitments in the 2014 class, including three in the ESPN 300.
