[pefloresjr]

We'll have to agree to disagree, teejers1. I think that academics/40-year decision should always be *the* main criterion presented to Stanford's recruits. Stanford has never been in the CFP, so I'm not sure how that could be considered a factor. We almost won the Pac-12 championship game in 2017, lost close games to UW and WSU and finished a game back in the north in 2018, and had a disastrous 2019/beginning of 2020. As far as NY6 bowls, I continue to believe that Shaw has the creds to convince recruits that he will turn the ship around. He deserves the opportunity to try, so I'm not willing to admit at this point that Stanford's football future has been squandered.

This is exactly right.  I think having some stars come from a school that is competitive at high levels is enough to attract football recruits.  Players like Luck, McCaffrey, and Sherman along with a bunch of other players in the league are enough.  Quarterbacks who are looking for big stats and a campus based on football culture wouldn't come here regardless of the number of qb's currently in the NFL.  We are still limited to the small number of players who are both academically focused and NFL focused.  

The biggest failing I see for Shaw is in recruiting but it is not because Shaw hasn't given it enough priority or hasn't worked hard enough as some say or at least imply.  I think Shaw just has a different philosophy and approach than most coaches and has been too slow to adjust to the new timelines.  Shaw has an approach to recruiting that attempts to be focused and honest.  He doesn't want to play games and mislead recruits and their families about their chances.  He also doesn't want to end up having to rescind offers if the hit rate is too high.  Based on the recruit hit rate he was getting early on when he became head coach, it seemed like we could be very targeted and limited in the number of offers we put out.  That hit rate has worsened and we are now adjusting by making a lot more offers for 2022.  (Whether that hit rate dropped because of the new signing dates, the team's performance and/or other factors is pretty hard to determine with any accuracy.)  I do want us to start using all of our allowable campus visits and identifying more players early in the process to encourage the academic commitment needed for admission.  The reason we held off on using those visits was because Shaw loves the impact the Big Visit used to have before the dates were changed and wanted to try to preserve it.  It turned out that it wasn't possible to do that because recruits won't wait anymore and recruiting is clearly adopting a different approach.  I like Shaw's open honest approach and think it is a good fit for Stanford.  Lots of coaches come in with a rah-rah salesman pitch and I think it's smart to present a contrast when it comes to Stanford recruiting.  In many players statements about their recruiting, that difference is what brought them here.  It won't work for everyone.  I also think that Shaw's response to the changes in recruiting have been too slow but that he has earned the chance to right the ship based on his accomplishments.  

Cheers,
Pete F.

[pefloresjr]

We'll have to agree to disagree, teejers1. I think that academics/40-year decision should always be *the* main criterion presented to Stanford's recruits. Stanford has never been in the CFP, so I'm not sure how that could be considered a factor. We almost won the Pac-12 championship game in 2017, lost close games to UW and WSU and finished a game back in the north in 2018, and had a disastrous 2019/beginning of 2020. As far as NY6 bowls, I continue to believe that Shaw has the creds to convince recruits that he will turn the ship around. He deserves the opportunity to try, so I'm not willing to admit at this point that Stanford's football future has been squandered.

This is exactly right.  I think having some stars come from a school that is competitive at high levels is enough to attract football recruits.  Players like Luck, McCaffrey, and Sherman along with a bunch of other players in the league are enough.  Quarterbacks who are looking for big stats and a campus based on football culture wouldn't come here regardless of the number of qb's currently in the NFL.  We are still limited to the small number of players who are both academically focused and NFL focused.  

The biggest failing I see for Shaw is in recruiting but it is not because Shaw hasn't given it enough priority or hasn't worked hard enough as some say or at least imply.  I think Shaw just has a different philosophy and approach than most coaches and has been too slow to adjust to the new timelines.  Shaw has an approach to recruiting that attempts to be focused and honest.  He doesn't want to play games and mislead recruits and their families about their chances.  He also doesn't want to end up having to rescind offers if the hit rate is too high.  Based on the recruit hit rate he was getting early on when he became head coach, it seemed like we could be very targeted and limited in the number of offers we put out.  That hit rate has worsened and we are now adjusting by making a lot more offers for 2022.  (Whether that hit rate dropped because of the new signing dates, the team's performance and/or other factors is pretty hard to determine with any accuracy.)  I do want us to start using all of our allowable campus visits and identifying more players early in the process to encourage the academic commitment needed for admission.  The reason we held off on using those visits was because Shaw loves the impact the Big Visit used to have before the dates were changed and wanted to try to preserve it.  It turned out that it wasn't possible to do that because recruits won't wait anymore and recruiting is clearly adopting a different approach.  I like Shaw's open honest approach and think it is a good fit for Stanford.  Lots of coaches come in with a rah-rah salesman pitch and I think it's smart to present a contrast when it comes to Stanford recruiting.  In many players statements about their recruiting, that difference is what brought them here.  It won't work for everyone.  I also think that Shaw's response to the changes in recruiting have been too slow but that he has earned the chance to right the ship based on his accomplishments.  

Cheers,
Pete F.