I haven't been following recruiting very closely, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But I have two related thoughts.
1) This year seems to make totally clear that Shaw has turned away from Harbaugh's approach of getting lots of verbal commitments early, and then letting the chips fall where they may. The new approach is more befitting of a program that's no longer desperate, and it obviously avoids the sometimes-embarrassing recruiting shenanigans that marked Harbaugh's tenure. Just speculating, but there could be some silent verbals by guys who the staff do not feel are slam dunks for admission -- the idea being that if they don't get admitted, this low-key approach works out better for everyone involved.
2) My guess is that even though this class will not have as many headliners as last year's, there are probably more guys this year than ever who a) are credible BCS conference football players; b) are admittable; and c) REALLY want to come to Stanford. So we're got more demand for scholarships than supply, which means the coaching staff can slow-walk certain kids to make sure they sign the best possible class.
1) This year seems to make totally clear that Shaw has turned away from Harbaugh's approach of getting lots of verbal commitments early, and then letting the chips fall where they may. The new approach is more befitting of a program that's no longer desperate, and it obviously avoids the sometimes-embarrassing recruiting shenanigans that marked Harbaugh's tenure. Just speculating, but there could be some silent verbals by guys who the staff do not feel are slam dunks for admission -- the idea being that if they don't get admitted, this low-key approach works out better for everyone involved.
2) My guess is that even though this class will not have as many headliners as last year's, there are probably more guys this year than ever who a) are credible BCS conference football players; b) are admittable; and c) REALLY want to come to Stanford. So we're got more demand for scholarships than supply, which means the coaching staff can slow-walk certain kids to make sure they sign the best possible class.