Laguna Hills football star Mitch Leigber commits to play for Stanford University

Mitch Leigber of Laguna Hills made his college decision this week. (File photo courtesy Harrison Zhang, For OC Sports Zone)

Mitch Leigber, an offensive and defensive star with Laguna Hills High School’s football team, committed Saturday to play for Stanford University in 2021, according to Hawks Coach Mike Maceranka.

Leigber, a star running back with the Hawks, said he will play in the defensive secondary for Stanford. Leigber will be entering his senior season with Laguna Hills.

“It came down to a few schools for me,” Leigber said in a phone interview Saturday with OC Sports Zone. “It was a pretty tough choice but it just came down to that was the best fit for me. Their academics speak for themselves and I had a great relationship with the coaching staff and that was just the best fit for me and my family. I got to talk to David Shaw (Stanford head coach) a few times and he is a really good guy and really good coach so I’m excited to play for him.

“I think I’m a perfect fit for the safety position and I’m looking forward to getting there my freshman year and just competing for playing time and trying to help out the team as much as I can.”

Leigber (6-1, 200) said he also considered offers from Cal, Washington, UCLA, Arizona, San Diego State and Stanford.

“I was very thankful to be in that position, I was looking for a great academic school and great football team too so I think Stanford has both of those for me so it was just a perfect fit for me,” he said.

Laguna Hills coach Mike Maceranka congratulated Leigber on Twitter and in an Email told OC Sports Zone: “Most schools once.you are offered you are offered admission as well. It’s a different process with Stanford. He had to apply for admission and had to go through the application process.

“The coaches do not have a say on who is admitted, once he heard back from admissions he was extremely proud to have been accepted. He had several great opportunities and it was a tough decision. I am sure he would have enjoyed any of the schools he was offered a scholarship to, but it’s hard to pass up a Stanford degree and a chance to play for Coach Shaw and his staff.

“It’s been a long process in which he worked hundreds of hours outside of our teams practices working on his craft. His family has laid a strong foundation of hard work, humbleness, love and support for him to reach his goals.”

Leigber said he was appreciative of the interest he received.

“It was awesome and really exciting,” he said. “I really enjoyed building relationships with all the coaches I talked to and being able to take some trips to a few colleges and just enjoy that experience,” he said.

Leigber said Maceranka played a big role in the process.

“Coach helped me out a lot; I can’t thank him enough for everything he’s done for me,” Leigber said. “He’s helped me out so much just being a coach and throughout the recruiting process.”

Leigber said he expects to sign his national letter of intent with Stanford in December. He has not decided on a major yet.

“I would like to thank all the coaches who have recruited me throughout this process, I really enjoyed building a bond with all of them,” he said. “And I want to thank my family too for supporting me throughout the whole process.”

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-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com