[Goose]

Stanford is a world class institution that desires to be the best at everything, and when we have an aspect of the school that does not offer the best experience or opportunity for students, that is un-Stanford like and as a Stanford alum makes me sad.  There is a problem here and something needs to change to improve the experience and opportunities for these talented young men. Stanford is in the business of providing the best experience and opportunity whether it be academics or athletics.

Exactly. As a world class institution, we have provided these players with the opportunity to earn a degree and to play football. They earned that degree, and due to their experience at Stanford have determined that it is possibly time to leave. The "best experience" does involve eventually leaving. Determining when that is may be a bit variable, but for most people getting a degree is the point at which they leave. This does not mean that they did not have the best experience possible. It may mean they did, and are now ready for "next".

I think the players are realizing that the portal is a tool they can use to increase their education and experience. If you are a Grad Transfer, going to the NFL is probably a long shot. You have one year to show you are ready for the NFL. You will have to learn a new system, which is not always trivial. You are inserting yourself into a pipeline that undoubtedly has at least somebody to compete with you. You probably can't do spring football, unless you are able to graduate in December. There are lots of reasons not to do this if you are a starter on your current team and the NFL is you ultimate goal. If you are not a starter, or if your goal is to use football as a way to get another degree, the portal makes absolute sense. It also allows you to broaden your geographic and academic experience. We are going to see more of this, for sure. Stanford students are smart and ambitious.

There may in fact be a problem with the personnel relations on the team. If there is, we will eventually hear about it. However, these guys going into the portal is not ipso facto evidence of it. In general, such things are very hard to keep confidential, especially if multiple people feel the same way. There is always some tension between coaches and players, but if the coach is an ass, word gets out.

[Goose]

Stanford is a world class institution that desires to be the best at everything, and when we have an aspect of the school that does not offer the best experience or opportunity for students, that is un-Stanford like and as a Stanford alum makes me sad.  There is a problem here and something needs to change to improve the experience and opportunities for these talented young men. Stanford is in the business of providing the best experience and opportunity whether it be academics or athletics.

Exactly. As a world class institution, we have provided these players with the opportunity to earn a degree and to play football. They earned that degree, and due to their experience at Stanford have determined that it is possibly time to leave. The "best experience" does involve eventually leaving. Determining when that is may be a bit variable, but for most people getting a degree is the point at which they leave. This does not mean that they did not have the best experience possible. It may mean they did, and are now ready for "next".

I think the players are realizing that the portal is a tool they can use to increase their education and experience. If you are a Grad Transfer, going to the NFL is probably a long shot. You have one year to show you are ready for the NFL. You will have to learn a new system, which is not always trivial. You are inserting yourself into a pipeline that undoubtedly has at least somebody to compete with you. You probably can't do spring football, unless you are able to graduate in December. There are lots of reasons not to do this if you are a starter on your current team and the NFL is you ultimate goal. If you are not a starter, or if your goal is to use football as a way to get another degree, the portal makes absolute sense. It also allows you to broaden your geographic and academic experience. We are going to see more of this, for sure. Stanford students are smart and ambitious.

There may in fact be a problem with the personnel relations on the team. If there is, we will eventually hear about it. However, these guys going into the portal is not ipso facto evidence of it. In general, such things are very hard to keep confidential, especially if multiple people feel the same way. There is always some tension between coaches and players, but if the coach is an ass, word gets out.