[winflop]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

[winflop]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

[old spanish trail]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

Probably correct, but not if Smith and/or Filkins run amok. We can hope can't we? And, I've always been a Jones fan.

[old spanish trail]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

Probably correct, but not if Smith and/or Filkins run amok. We can hope can't we? And, I've always been a Jones fan.

[Phogge]

No. UCLA is losing a bunch of guys. Even Notre Dame has lost some. Go down the list, there are over a thousand guys in the portal. Ohio State, MSU, Bama... nobody is immune.

The game has changed and Stanford by not accepting many transfers is shooting itself in the foot again.

[Phogge]

No. UCLA is losing a bunch of guys. Even Notre Dame has lost some. Go down the list, there are over a thousand guys in the portal. Ohio State, MSU, Bama... nobody is immune.

The game has changed and Stanford by not accepting many transfers is shooting itself in the foot again.

[old spanish trail]

I'm ambivalent about all things Stanford Football now. There is no indication anything is getting better and how can Jones transferring make anything worse?

McCaffrey 'bowl opting' was the skillshot for Stanford football

And the nail in the coffin was the moment the portal became a thing.

College football is nothing but glorified minor league football. For Stanford It's too difficult to get in and too easy to get out. We could have the greatest coaches in the universe and it wouldn't make a bit of difference

Having better coaches would ABSOLUTELY make a difference. Even if the W-L column wouldn't change (which it still would), there's a massive difference between actually being competitive in every game and getting completely bullied off the field with the team clearly quitting on the coaches.

Hmmm, willing to suggest which coaches should be changed out?

[old spanish trail]

I'm ambivalent about all things Stanford Football now. There is no indication anything is getting better and how can Jones transferring make anything worse?

McCaffrey 'bowl opting' was the skillshot for Stanford football

And the nail in the coffin was the moment the portal became a thing.

College football is nothing but glorified minor league football. For Stanford It's too difficult to get in and too easy to get out. We could have the greatest coaches in the universe and it wouldn't make a bit of difference

Having better coaches would ABSOLUTELY make a difference. Even if the W-L column wouldn't change (which it still would), there's a massive difference between actually being competitive in every game and getting completely bullied off the field with the team clearly quitting on the coaches.

Hmmm, willing to suggest which coaches should be changed out?

[Farm93]

No. UCLA is losing a bunch of guys. Even Notre Dame has lost some. Go down the list, there are over a thousand guys in the portal. Ohio State, MSU, Bama... nobody is immune.

The game has changed and Stanford by not accepting many transfers is shooting itself in the foot again.

It is easier to get into USC as a transfer than as a freshman.  That is true at many schools, so for those programs the transfer portal is a useful tool.

For Stanford, it is much harder for any student to get in as a transfer student.  Stanford is "shooting itself in the foot" because it is the #1 dream school with an impossibly low admit rate, impossibly high yield rates, and an exceptional retention rate.  Shame on the school.  (LOL)

The dream school status may not help Stanford FOOTBALL with the transfer portal, but the university is a bit bigger than football.

Since the university overall accepts only a few transfers each year it will not be possible for Stanford football to replace transfer portal losses with transfer portal gains.    At best Stanford can overload a bit on the incoming side but even in that scenario future Stanford teams will have a systemic roster bias towards underclassmen.

[Farm93]

No. UCLA is losing a bunch of guys. Even Notre Dame has lost some. Go down the list, there are over a thousand guys in the portal. Ohio State, MSU, Bama... nobody is immune.

The game has changed and Stanford by not accepting many transfers is shooting itself in the foot again.

It is easier to get into USC as a transfer than as a freshman.  That is true at many schools, so for those programs the transfer portal is a useful tool.

For Stanford, it is much harder for any student to get in as a transfer student.  Stanford is "shooting itself in the foot" because it is the #1 dream school with an impossibly low admit rate, impossibly high yield rates, and an exceptional retention rate.  Shame on the school.  (LOL)

The dream school status may not help Stanford FOOTBALL with the transfer portal, but the university is a bit bigger than football.

Since the university overall accepts only a few transfers each year it will not be possible for Stanford football to replace transfer portal losses with transfer portal gains.    At best Stanford can overload a bit on the incoming side but even in that scenario future Stanford teams will have a systemic roster bias towards underclassmen.

[old spanish trail]

No. UCLA is losing a bunch of guys. Even Notre Dame has lost some. Go down the list, there are over a thousand guys in the portal. Ohio State, MSU, Bama... nobody is immune.

The game has changed and Stanford by not accepting many transfers is shooting itself in the foot again.

It is easier to get into USC as a transfer than as a freshman.  That is true at many schools, so for those programs the transfer portal is a useful tool.

For Stanford, it is much harder for any student to get in as a transfer student.  Stanford is "shooting itself in the foot" because it is the #1 dream school with an impossibly low admit rate, impossibly high yield rates, and an exceptional retention rate.  Shame on the school.  (LOL)

The dream school status may not help Stanford FOOTBALL with the transfer portal, but the university is a bit bigger than football.

Since the university overall accepts only a few transfers each year it will not be possible for Stanford football to replace transfer portal losses with transfer portal gains.    At best Stanford can overload a bit on the incoming side but even in that scenario future Stanford teams will have a systemic roster bias towards underclassmen.

So true. Phogge, that's the way it is no matter how many times you bay at the moon. Aint gonna change.

[old spanish trail]

No. UCLA is losing a bunch of guys. Even Notre Dame has lost some. Go down the list, there are over a thousand guys in the portal. Ohio State, MSU, Bama... nobody is immune.

The game has changed and Stanford by not accepting many transfers is shooting itself in the foot again.

It is easier to get into USC as a transfer than as a freshman.  That is true at many schools, so for those programs the transfer portal is a useful tool.

For Stanford, it is much harder for any student to get in as a transfer student.  Stanford is "shooting itself in the foot" because it is the #1 dream school with an impossibly low admit rate, impossibly high yield rates, and an exceptional retention rate.  Shame on the school.  (LOL)

The dream school status may not help Stanford FOOTBALL with the transfer portal, but the university is a bit bigger than football.

Since the university overall accepts only a few transfers each year it will not be possible for Stanford football to replace transfer portal losses with transfer portal gains.    At best Stanford can overload a bit on the incoming side but even in that scenario future Stanford teams will have a systemic roster bias towards underclassmen.

So true. Phogge, that's the way it is no matter how many times you bay at the moon. Aint gonna change.

[Phogge]

LOL my left foot. It is easy to take the road of "Dream School." There are hundreds of dream schools out there sir or madam. The dream school was just sued by two of its faculty members. Wonder how many high school parents are concerned about that and now have a dream for their kids other than Stanford.

Change or die for Stanford Football. It's not 2010 anymore.

[Phogge]

LOL my left foot. It is easy to take the road of "Dream School." There are hundreds of dream schools out there sir or madam. The dream school was just sued by two of its faculty members. Wonder how many high school parents are concerned about that and now have a dream for their kids other than Stanford.

Change or die for Stanford Football. It's not 2010 anymore.

[DC 86]

LOL my left foot. It is easy to take the road of "Dream School." There are hundreds of dream schools out there sir or madam.

"Dream School" is indeed a subjective term.

Objectively, how many US colleges have an admissions rate below 5%? there's only one.

Next lowest admissions rate among FBS schools is approximately double.

[DC 86]

LOL my left foot. It is easy to take the road of "Dream School." There are hundreds of dream schools out there sir or madam.

"Dream School" is indeed a subjective term.

Objectively, how many US colleges have an admissions rate below 5%? there's only one.

Next lowest admissions rate among FBS schools is approximately double.

[lex24]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

No, it’s not.  It’s the new reality.  College free agency.  With Stanford having both hands tied behind it’s back.  I knew, and suspect most here did, that the transfer portal was very bad for Stanford.

[lex24]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

No, it’s not.  It’s the new reality.  College free agency.  With Stanford having both hands tied behind it’s back.  I knew, and suspect most here did, that the transfer portal was very bad for Stanford.

[Phogge]

So it goes... don’t expect any Rose Bowls. Cal is a dream school for many excellent (but below average for Stanford) students and they haven’t been to the RB since January 1959. You guys ought to be over the moon that since the last Cal RB Stanford has been there six times. You all can get off watching the replays.

[Phogge]

So it goes... don’t expect any Rose Bowls. Cal is a dream school for many excellent (but below average for Stanford) students and they haven’t been to the RB since January 1959. You guys ought to be over the moon that since the last Cal RB Stanford has been there six times. You all can get off watching the replays.

[teejers1]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

No, it’s not.  It’s the new reality.  College free agency.  With Stanford having both hands tied behind it’s back.  I knew, and suspect most here did, that the transfer portal was very bad for Stanford.

Lex, do you think Jones or Peat transfer if Stanford has a winning program?  A NY6 program?

You fail to acknowledge that the state of the program is a factor (perhaps the controlling one) for the loss of players who are projected to get meaningful PT for the Cardinal.  THAT's a problem of this regime, and not necessarily something that's "bound to happen" with the transfer portal.

I'll acknowledge that the transfer portal is, on balance, going to hurt Stanford more than it will help.  But you need to acknowledge that the degree of the "hurt" is determined in some part (I'd argue in large part) by how (un)successful the Stanford football program is viewed by those players in the program.

[teejers1]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

No, it’s not.  It’s the new reality.  College free agency.  With Stanford having both hands tied behind it’s back.  I knew, and suspect most here did, that the transfer portal was very bad for Stanford.

Lex, do you think Jones or Peat transfer if Stanford has a winning program?  A NY6 program?

You fail to acknowledge that the state of the program is a factor (perhaps the controlling one) for the loss of players who are projected to get meaningful PT for the Cardinal.  THAT's a problem of this regime, and not necessarily something that's "bound to happen" with the transfer portal.

I'll acknowledge that the transfer portal is, on balance, going to hurt Stanford more than it will help.  But you need to acknowledge that the degree of the "hurt" is determined in some part (I'd argue in large part) by how (un)successful the Stanford football program is viewed by those players in the program.

[81alum]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

No, it’s not.  It’s the new reality.  College free agency.  With Stanford having both hands tied behind it’s back.  I knew, and suspect most here did, that the transfer portal was very bad for Stanford.

Lex, do you think Jones or Peat transfer if Stanford has a winning program?  A NY6 program?

You fail to acknowledge that the state of the program is a factor (perhaps the controlling one) for the loss of players who are projected to get meaningful PT for the Cardinal.  THAT's a problem of this regime, and not necessarily something that's "bound to happen" with the transfer portal.

I'll acknowledge that the transfer portal is, on balance, going to hurt Stanford more than it will help.  But you need to acknowledge that the degree of the "hurt" is determined in some part (I'd argue in large part) by how (un)successful the Stanford football program is viewed by those players in the program.

This is bad news, the state of our program probably contributed.   On balance free agency will help the elite programs get better and make college football more lopsided than it already is.  It may prove to be too much for a university with high academic standards to accept.

However, I would like to know more about the individual situation.  Is he somehow graduating?  Or is he somehow dissatisfied with the non-football aspects of Stanford?  What is his major and what are his aspirations?  Is family involved?  Or was this a pure football move? 

Without perfect knowledge all we have is imperfect speculation. 

I do think it shocking that any athlete with limited professional prospects would ditch a Stanford degree, and so something tells me there is more to the story.

[81alum]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

No, it’s not.  It’s the new reality.  College free agency.  With Stanford having both hands tied behind it’s back.  I knew, and suspect most here did, that the transfer portal was very bad for Stanford.

Lex, do you think Jones or Peat transfer if Stanford has a winning program?  A NY6 program?

You fail to acknowledge that the state of the program is a factor (perhaps the controlling one) for the loss of players who are projected to get meaningful PT for the Cardinal.  THAT's a problem of this regime, and not necessarily something that's "bound to happen" with the transfer portal.

I'll acknowledge that the transfer portal is, on balance, going to hurt Stanford more than it will help.  But you need to acknowledge that the degree of the "hurt" is determined in some part (I'd argue in large part) by how (un)successful the Stanford football program is viewed by those players in the program.

This is bad news, the state of our program probably contributed.   On balance free agency will help the elite programs get better and make college football more lopsided than it already is.  It may prove to be too much for a university with high academic standards to accept.

However, I would like to know more about the individual situation.  Is he somehow graduating?  Or is he somehow dissatisfied with the non-football aspects of Stanford?  What is his major and what are his aspirations?  Is family involved?  Or was this a pure football move? 

Without perfect knowledge all we have is imperfect speculation. 

I do think it shocking that any athlete with limited professional prospects would ditch a Stanford degree, and so something tells me there is more to the story.

[Maple Leaf]

The only time I can remember two Stanford players at the same position (quarterbacks) transferring at the same time was back when Elway was a freshman during fall/pre-season practice.  One transferred to Indiana and the other to San Diego State.

[Maple Leaf]

The only time I can remember two Stanford players at the same position (quarterbacks) transferring at the same time was back when Elway was a freshman during fall/pre-season practice.  One transferred to Indiana and the other to San Diego State.

[Phogge]

I don’t think the average non-alum or not connected to Stanford fan (there a few) cares a whit about grades, Nobel winners or the academic rankings of colleges. To continually bray about how tough it is to attract players is getting old. The rules have changed and you either get on living or get on dying. If the administration, the board or the connected alumni won’t give in (just a bit) then why play anymore.

[Phogge]

I don’t think the average non-alum or not connected to Stanford fan (there a few) cares a whit about grades, Nobel winners or the academic rankings of colleges. To continually bray about how tough it is to attract players is getting old. The rules have changed and you either get on living or get on dying. If the administration, the board or the connected alumni won’t give in (just a bit) then why play anymore.

[dabigv13]

I care a lot less about CFB in the post NIL, transfer portal world. I know I'm not the only alum who feels that way, and most of my friends who are CFB fans are like that too.

The haves (SEC) will pull further away from the rest with this system. If they eventually have their own league and Stanford is playing in some Ivy league setup, I'd prefer that. I don't think NCAA will get a handle on this before the players are pretty much full professionals, and probably Stanford would not play that game. A bummer, but I can spend my leisure time doing other things.

[dabigv13]

I care a lot less about CFB in the post NIL, transfer portal world. I know I'm not the only alum who feels that way, and most of my friends who are CFB fans are like that too.

The haves (SEC) will pull further away from the rest with this system. If they eventually have their own league and Stanford is playing in some Ivy league setup, I'd prefer that. I don't think NCAA will get a handle on this before the players are pretty much full professionals, and probably Stanford would not play that game. A bummer, but I can spend my leisure time doing other things.

[lex24]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

No, it’s not.  It’s the new reality.  College free agency.  With Stanford having both hands tied behind it’s back.  I knew, and suspect most here did, that the transfer portal was very bad for Stanford.

Lex, do you think Jones or Peat transfer if Stanford has a winning program?  A NY6 program?

You fail to acknowledge that the state of the program is a factor (perhaps the controlling one) for the loss of players who are projected to get meaningful PT for the Cardinal.  THAT's a problem of this regime, and not necessarily something that's "bound to happen" with the transfer portal.

I'll acknowledge that the transfer portal is, on balance, going to hurt Stanford more than it will help.  But you need to acknowledge that the degree of the "hurt" is determined in some part (I'd argue in large part) by how (un)successful the Stanford football program is viewed by those players in the program.

Stanford had a horrible year.  That certainly could have contributed.  I don’t deny that.  They have had a “winning program” in large part over the last decade - with a couple down years thrown in.  Stanford has never been and never will be a “NY6” program.  That is reserved for the elite few in college football.  The success Stanford had from 10-18 (particularly ‘10-‘15) or so was not sustainable.  Particularly when the new realities of early admission and free agency came in.

The problem with the portal is it’s essentially a one way door at Stanford.  And, whether you believe it or not, kids leave for all sorts of reasons.  Maybe Jones left for program reasons, maybe he left cause he didn’t like the school or for reasons that we will never know.

The point is - they will lose players.  Every school does.  But they can’t get replacements through the portal.  And that’s an institutional issue that will not change.

[lex24]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

No, it’s not.  It’s the new reality.  College free agency.  With Stanford having both hands tied behind it’s back.  I knew, and suspect most here did, that the transfer portal was very bad for Stanford.

Lex, do you think Jones or Peat transfer if Stanford has a winning program?  A NY6 program?

You fail to acknowledge that the state of the program is a factor (perhaps the controlling one) for the loss of players who are projected to get meaningful PT for the Cardinal.  THAT's a problem of this regime, and not necessarily something that's "bound to happen" with the transfer portal.

I'll acknowledge that the transfer portal is, on balance, going to hurt Stanford more than it will help.  But you need to acknowledge that the degree of the "hurt" is determined in some part (I'd argue in large part) by how (un)successful the Stanford football program is viewed by those players in the program.

Stanford had a horrible year.  That certainly could have contributed.  I don’t deny that.  They have had a “winning program” in large part over the last decade - with a couple down years thrown in.  Stanford has never been and never will be a “NY6” program.  That is reserved for the elite few in college football.  The success Stanford had from 10-18 (particularly ‘10-‘15) or so was not sustainable.  Particularly when the new realities of early admission and free agency came in.

The problem with the portal is it’s essentially a one way door at Stanford.  And, whether you believe it or not, kids leave for all sorts of reasons.  Maybe Jones left for program reasons, maybe he left cause he didn’t like the school or for reasons that we will never know.

The point is - they will lose players.  Every school does.  But they can’t get replacements through the portal.  And that’s an institutional issue that will not change.

[winflop]

I'm ambivalent about all things Stanford Football now. There is no indication anything is getting better and how can Jones transferring make anything worse?

McCaffrey 'bowl opting' was the skillshot for Stanford football

And the nail in the coffin was the moment the portal became a thing.

College football is nothing but glorified minor league football. For Stanford It's too difficult to get in and too easy to get out. We could have the greatest coaches in the universe and it wouldn't make a bit of difference

Having better coaches would ABSOLUTELY make a difference. Even if the W-L column wouldn't change (which it still would), there's a massive difference between actually being competitive in every game and getting completely bullied off the field with the team clearly quitting on the coaches.

Hmmm, willing to suggest which coaches should be changed out?

Sure!
Let's start with Reynolds (DL) and Anderson (DC) and add in Pritchard (OC/QB). Honestly the only defensive coach who should stay is Hansen (ILB) but only because last year was his first.

[winflop]

I'm ambivalent about all things Stanford Football now. There is no indication anything is getting better and how can Jones transferring make anything worse?

McCaffrey 'bowl opting' was the skillshot for Stanford football

And the nail in the coffin was the moment the portal became a thing.

College football is nothing but glorified minor league football. For Stanford It's too difficult to get in and too easy to get out. We could have the greatest coaches in the universe and it wouldn't make a bit of difference

Having better coaches would ABSOLUTELY make a difference. Even if the W-L column wouldn't change (which it still would), there's a massive difference between actually being competitive in every game and getting completely bullied off the field with the team clearly quitting on the coaches.

Hmmm, willing to suggest which coaches should be changed out?

Sure!
Let's start with Reynolds (DL) and Anderson (DC) and add in Pritchard (OC/QB). Honestly the only defensive coach who should stay is Hansen (ILB) but only because last year was his first.

[82lsju]

even the Daily is writing about the Football team and the transfer portal

Junior Austin Jones committed to USC on Thursday, he announced on Twitter. Jones’ departure headlines a large group of Cardinal players that have entered the transfer portal in the offseason following Stanford’s 3-9 season in 2021 — including several starters and two junior running backs, Jones and Nathaniel Peat, who both transferred prior to their senior year.

Peat committed to the University of Missouri two days before Jones, and fifth-year fullback Houston Heimuli transferred to BYU in December. Fifth-year outside linebacker Gabe Reid, fifth-year defensive end Ryan Johnson and senior outside linebacker Andres Fox, among others, remain in the transfer portal.
...
Stanford is far from the only team experiencing significant roster turnover via the transfer portal. This year 1,194 FBS players entered the portal, including many high profile players such as former five-star quarterbacks JT Daniels from Georgia, Caleb Williams from Oklahoma and Jaxson Dart from USC. The latter two started much of the season for their respective schools.

https://stanforddaily.com/2022/01/20/aus...-starters/

[82lsju]

even the Daily is writing about the Football team and the transfer portal

Junior Austin Jones committed to USC on Thursday, he announced on Twitter. Jones’ departure headlines a large group of Cardinal players that have entered the transfer portal in the offseason following Stanford’s 3-9 season in 2021 — including several starters and two junior running backs, Jones and Nathaniel Peat, who both transferred prior to their senior year.

Peat committed to the University of Missouri two days before Jones, and fifth-year fullback Houston Heimuli transferred to BYU in December. Fifth-year outside linebacker Gabe Reid, fifth-year defensive end Ryan Johnson and senior outside linebacker Andres Fox, among others, remain in the transfer portal.
...
Stanford is far from the only team experiencing significant roster turnover via the transfer portal. This year 1,194 FBS players entered the portal, including many high profile players such as former five-star quarterbacks JT Daniels from Georgia, Caleb Williams from Oklahoma and Jaxson Dart from USC. The latter two started much of the season for their respective schools.

https://stanforddaily.com/2022/01/20/aus...-starters/

[winflop]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

No, it’s not.  It’s the new reality.  College free agency.  With Stanford having both hands tied behind it’s back.  I knew, and suspect most here did, that the transfer portal was very bad for Stanford.

No, it is. When a player leaves pre-graduation, goes to a rival, and isn't expecting their place in the pecking order to be materially different, it means something's broken. This isn't like the basketball player who transferred out after one season. Jones has been here longer than that.

[winflop]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

No, it’s not.  It’s the new reality.  College free agency.  With Stanford having both hands tied behind it’s back.  I knew, and suspect most here did, that the transfer portal was very bad for Stanford.

No, it is. When a player leaves pre-graduation, goes to a rival, and isn't expecting their place in the pecking order to be materially different, it means something's broken. This isn't like the basketball player who transferred out after one season. Jones has been here longer than that.

[lex24]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

No, it’s not.  It’s the new reality.  College free agency.  With Stanford having both hands tied behind it’s back.  I knew, and suspect most here did, that the transfer portal was very bad for Stanford.

No, it is. When a player leaves pre-graduation, goes to a rival, and isn't expecting their place in the pecking order to be materially different, it means something's broken. This isn't like the basketball player who transferred out after one season. Jones has been here longer than that.

Maybe. But the portal problem is bigger than Jones. (Who just as easily could have left cause he didn’t like the school, or got convinced by friends, or whatever). My point is, and continues to be, the portal hurts Stanford football.  And will continue to.  No matter what.

[lex24]

Austin Jones to SC. Yuck.

Remain calm! All is well!

But seriously, this is a scathing indictment of our program.

No, it’s not.  It’s the new reality.  College free agency.  With Stanford having both hands tied behind it’s back.  I knew, and suspect most here did, that the transfer portal was very bad for Stanford.

No, it is. When a player leaves pre-graduation, goes to a rival, and isn't expecting their place in the pecking order to be materially different, it means something's broken. This isn't like the basketball player who transferred out after one season. Jones has been here longer than that.

Maybe. But the portal problem is bigger than Jones. (Who just as easily could have left cause he didn’t like the school, or got convinced by friends, or whatever). My point is, and continues to be, the portal hurts Stanford football.  And will continue to.  No matter what.