Mystery solved as Peat picks Stanford

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Heading in to signing day, no one really knew where offensive lineman Andrus Peat (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) was headed. He was one of the big mysteries in the 2012 class and had narrowed his choices to Nebraska, Stanford and USC after also considering Florida State and Texas.

After thanking God, his family, his coaches and all the schools that recruited him, the 6-foot-7, 300-pound Peat grabbed the Cardinal hat and said he would be attending Stanford next fall.

"I just felt Stanford was the best overall fit for me," Peat said. "I narrowed it down to Stanford and Nebraska last night and was going back and forth for a little bit. I decided on Stanford late last night and then this morning around 10:30, that's when I really solidified it in my head.

"From a football standpoint, I think I can be successful there. I really like the coaching staff and their offensive line play. I like their approach to the game and the opportunity to play early there. The coaches told me they're losing some guys, and they want me to be ready to come in and compete for playing time right away so I'm looking forward to that."

Peat said it wasn't easy telling his older brother Todd, a redshirt freshman at Nebraska, that he wouldn't be joining him in college.

"We talked, and he just wished me luck and said he totally understood," Peat said. "He was happy for me and always told me throughout this whole process that he would support me no matter what I did. He has a lot of respect for Stanford so he's happy for me."

With Peat's signing, the Cardinal are putting together an offensive line for the ages. Much of the credit has to go to Stanford line coach Mike Bloomgren, who was one of the point people on all the linemen. San Clemente (Calif.) tackle Kyle Murphy is still waiting to decide between the Cardinal and USC, and Peat said he would love to play with him.

"I know Kyle and have talked to him several times," Peat said. "I've talked with him and Josh Garnett and it would be great to play with those guys. Competition only makes you better and those two are not just great players but great guys as well so hopefully we get Kyle later today as well."

Greg Biggins covers recruiting in the West region. He can be reached at Greg.Biggins@espn.com.

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