Stanley attended Dougherty Comprehensive High School, where he was an accomplished three-sport athlete.
He was a three-time All-Region selection in basketball, helping his team win a state title as a senior, while averaging 10 points and 10 rebounds per game.
He also practiced track for two years, finishing third in the region in the discus and shot put competitions as a senior.
[2] As a senior, although his first start came in the third game against the University of South Florida, he received All-Big East honors.
He finished his career ranked 12th in school history with 12.5 sacks and tied for ninth with 30 tackles for loss.
Stanley was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round (182nd overall) of the 2006 NFL draft, to play nose guard in the team's 3-4 defense.
On September 12, 2006, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed him from the Rams' practice squad for depth purposes, after defensive end Reggie Hayward was placed on the injured reserve list.
He went on to play in a career-high 15 games (no starts), finishing with 24 tackles (1 for loss), one sack and 3 passes defensed.