One-sixth of the Miami Dolphins defense hails from the same school, which is about as far away from South Florida as can be – the University of Utah. Cornerback R.J. Stanford is the newest member of the Utes Club in the locker room and is making a name for himself.

Stanford joins cornerback Sean Smith, linebacker Koa Misi and defensive tackle Paul Soliai as former Utah players making an impact in defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle’s system. He and Smith lined up in the same defensive backfield in college and Misi and Soliai also were on the field with him, so when Stanford was claimed off waivers from the Carolina Panthers on September 1st, his transition was a bit easier.

“The transition was pretty smooth because I saw a lot of familiar faces and they showed me love so it was welcoming,” said Stanford, who has eight tackles (seven solo) with six coming in the last two games. “They made me feel welcome even though I was the new kid on the block and as you know, Sean is a funny guy but he keeps it fun and he’s definitely a teammate that you want to play with because he keeps the fun in it. It just feels good to be playing with these guys again.”

Even though Smith and Stanford have the same agent, that had less to do with his signing with the Dolphins than what he did against them in the second preseason game when he was with Carolina.

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