[fullmetal]

Not in the sense that you'd use that term to describe the Ivy League schools.  Texas was fairly irrelevant until they hired Dave O'Neill, formerly of kal women's rowing, in the summer of 2014.  Texas immediately grabbed four mid-season transfers and, with an improving talent base, qualified for the 2015 NCAA championship regatta as a team, a program first.  It's only been upward since then.  Texas recruits well internationally, domestically, and on campus.  They have a full slate of coaches (paid, volunteer, grad asst) and money to spare.

Their all-time NCAA championship finishes:
2021 – National Champions
2020 – No regatta
2019 – 2nd
2018 – 3rd
2017 – 4th
2016 – 8th
2015 – 7th

They qualified automatically for the championship regatta in 2015 by winning their conference and have done so ever since (the rest of their conference has been pretty mediocre at best in this span).  The 2017 4th place finish was a brobdingnagian step forward, as that involved multiple boats advancing to the grand finals (very difficult).  It's been reloading/recruiting and hard training all the way.

Stanford, by comparison, has no grad or volunteer coaches, and while unafraid to seek international talent, still has to deal with admissions standards.  Also, the walk-on pool at Stanford is markedly smaller than it is at Texas.  Stanford definitely punches up well to hang with the big programs, but they aren't settling for second place this year if they can help it.

[fullmetal]

Not in the sense that you'd use that term to describe the Ivy League schools.  Texas was fairly irrelevant until they hired Dave O'Neill, formerly of kal women's rowing, in the summer of 2014.  Texas immediately grabbed four mid-season transfers and, with an improving talent base, qualified for the 2015 NCAA championship regatta as a team, a program first.  It's only been upward since then.  Texas recruits well internationally, domestically, and on campus.  They have a full slate of coaches (paid, volunteer, grad asst) and money to spare.

Their all-time NCAA championship finishes:
2021 – National Champions
2020 – No regatta
2019 – 2nd
2018 – 3rd
2017 – 4th
2016 – 8th
2015 – 7th

They qualified automatically for the championship regatta in 2015 by winning their conference and have done so ever since (the rest of their conference has been pretty mediocre at best in this span).  The 2017 4th place finish was a brobdingnagian step forward, as that involved multiple boats advancing to the grand finals (very difficult).  It's been reloading/recruiting and hard training all the way.

Stanford, by comparison, has no grad or volunteer coaches, and while unafraid to seek international talent, still has to deal with admissions standards.  Also, the walk-on pool at Stanford is markedly smaller than it is at Texas.  Stanford definitely punches up well to hang with the big programs, but they aren't settling for second place this year if they can help it.