02-08-2014, 11:31 AM
I think Stanford is in a very good position right now. Stanford's "top academics, top football" brand is getting a lot of traction nationally. It's very satisfying.
I don't think we are in a position where the coaches can say "Stanford recruits itself," then just sit back and pick among the multitudes of elite players who are lining up to sign an LOI. I think the coaches need to continue to work hard to fill each recruiting class. Stanford is not the easy path for recruits. They must work hard in school, take AP and honors classes, take and re-take the SAT, complete the application, get the recommendations, keep their grades up as seniors, etc. No other school asks them to do that. It's much easier for recruits to take a less demanding path. We will always have to push recruits to take the steps needed to qualify them for Stanford.
I think Stanford's academic advantage isn't understood or appreciated by a lot of recruits. Some recruits aren't looking for the best academic school; rather, they're looking for a "good enough" academic school. Other recruits aren't sophisticated enough to understand that Stanford really is different academically from our competitors.
I think Stanford's success still is fragile. We saw the program drop off the cliff not so long ago. I don't think we are at a point where it couldn't happen again. We need the right coaches, the right work ethic, the right administrative support, and the right players to keep this thing going.
I don't think we are in a position where the coaches can say "Stanford recruits itself," then just sit back and pick among the multitudes of elite players who are lining up to sign an LOI. I think the coaches need to continue to work hard to fill each recruiting class. Stanford is not the easy path for recruits. They must work hard in school, take AP and honors classes, take and re-take the SAT, complete the application, get the recommendations, keep their grades up as seniors, etc. No other school asks them to do that. It's much easier for recruits to take a less demanding path. We will always have to push recruits to take the steps needed to qualify them for Stanford.
I think Stanford's academic advantage isn't understood or appreciated by a lot of recruits. Some recruits aren't looking for the best academic school; rather, they're looking for a "good enough" academic school. Other recruits aren't sophisticated enough to understand that Stanford really is different academically from our competitors.
I think Stanford's success still is fragile. We saw the program drop off the cliff not so long ago. I don't think we are at a point where it couldn't happen again. We need the right coaches, the right work ethic, the right administrative support, and the right players to keep this thing going.