[JohnR34231]

Did the kid say Stanford ADMISSIONS said he needed an ACT score of 26 to be admitted?

That doesn't sound like a conversation the school would have with a prospective applicant in a one on one conversation.  I can see them discussing a typical profile in a group setting or a college admissions "coach" discussing how to increase application strength but giving targets to a single applicant seems out of character unless admissions has changed a heck of a lot.  There was a WIDE range of SAT and ACT scores in my all freshman dorm and test scores were obviously balanced against the strength of the overall application and individual circumstances.  I hope that hasn't changed.

He didn't say, but I'm sure it was the coaching staff that told him that. I have been assuming that the coaching staff talks with the admissions department and gets general guidelines that they tell a recruit he needs to meet to have a reasonable shot at admissions. My guess is with football recruits it is more a GPA (including AP courses) and a standardized test score goal they have to meet than it is for the general student population.

[JohnR34231]

Did the kid say Stanford ADMISSIONS said he needed an ACT score of 26 to be admitted?

That doesn't sound like a conversation the school would have with a prospective applicant in a one on one conversation.  I can see them discussing a typical profile in a group setting or a college admissions "coach" discussing how to increase application strength but giving targets to a single applicant seems out of character unless admissions has changed a heck of a lot.  There was a WIDE range of SAT and ACT scores in my all freshman dorm and test scores were obviously balanced against the strength of the overall application and individual circumstances.  I hope that hasn't changed.

He didn't say, but I'm sure it was the coaching staff that told him that. I have been assuming that the coaching staff talks with the admissions department and gets general guidelines that they tell a recruit he needs to meet to have a reasonable shot at admissions. My guess is with football recruits it is more a GPA (including AP courses) and a standardized test score goal they have to meet than it is for the general student population.