STANFORD >> Tight end Brendan Doyle will use his final year of college football eligibility on The Farm.

The Monte Vista Christian School alum, who graduated from University of Memphis in December, signed with Stanford University on Tuesday, a day after he visited the Palo Alto campus.

“It all happened so fast,” Doyle said. “I’m still digesting the while thing. … I was fortunate for sure.”

Doyle knew he had a year of eligibility remaining and wanted to play close to home, so he not only entered the transfer portal, he contacted some of his former football coaches at College of San Mateo, where he played for two seasons, and asked if they could help the cause.

“They reached out to Stanford and got me connected, and they liked my film,” Doyle said.

What’s not to like? In addition to his run and pass blocking skills, he had a penchant for reaching the end zone.

In 26 career games for Memphis, Doyle made 20 receptions for 139 yards and scored seven touchdowns. He helped the Tigers (11-2) beat West Virginia 42-37 in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl in Texas on Dec. 17.

He joins a Cardinal program that went 3-9 overall under second-year head coach Troy Taylor in the fall, 2-6 in its first season as a member of the ACC.

Several factors away from the field caught Doyle’s attention. “I wanted to take advantage of the NIL deal, get one year of education and a certificate from Stanford, which will look real nice on the resume,” he said.

Doyle majored in psychology at Memphis and minored in sociology.

“It’s just a big opportunity for me and I want to take advantage of everything I can,” he said.

Doyle also visited Tulane, He also had several other visits scheduled, but canceled them after committing to the Cardinal.

Doyle said he never dreamt of playing of playing for the Cardinal as a child. “My dream was to go D-I, wherever that was,” he said.

Despite being named MVP of the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League’s A Division as a senior, during the COVID-19 shortened spring season in 2021, Doyle didn’t have any scholarship offers out of high school.

So, after shining for three seasons as a quarterback and linebacker at MVC in Watsonville, he attended community college in San Mateo to continue his football journey. His sophomore season, he scored twice to help the Bulldogs beat Riverside for the California Community College Athletic Association State Championship in 2022. He was named an all-California Region I first-teamer.

His steady and impressive community college play opened the door for him at Memphis, which helped open the latest door at Stanford.

“I had a great time at Memphis,” he said. “I gained a lot of knowledge and had fun there. I had a great two years for Memphis.”

Doyle has returned home and is working small jobs, like delivering for DoorDash, so he can focus on preparing for life as a Stanford student-athlete.

“That’s my job,” he said.