[msqueri]

Good post.

I think a few things are going on with the startling increase in turn downs:

* Yes, trophy collecting.

* Also the 40 year decision has become less and less salient as players realize that being a football player at Oklahoma rather than Stanford is not necessarily an unwise decision from a life-time perspective monetarily or in other dimensions (as a case in point, in the NIL world don't you think Dylan Lonergan will make more money in his life having gone to Alabama than he would have going to Stanford?).

* I suspect but can't prove (especially because the academics of Stanford football recruits/nature of the application process has become so opaque, which I think bolsters my theory) that it is WAAAAAAAAAAY easier to be admitted to Stanford as a coveted scholarship football player than many of our fans assume. I don't think the admissions office is very tough on football applicants these days and with the continuity of Lance Anderson's role helping shepherding recruits through the process coupled with continuity in Mike Eubanks' operation, we are better equipped than ever before to hold recruits' hands through the application process. Sure, recruits have to ask for a few letters of recommendation and write a few short personal statements/essays. But it's not a herculean effort for a recruit to apply and be accepted to Stanford.

* There may have even been a philosophical change where we give/solicit applications from more recruits than before, a calculation (I would support) to give ourselves a shot rather than just treating admissions as the last wicket in the process for guys definitely coming.

[msqueri]

Good post.

I think a few things are going on with the startling increase in turn downs:

* Yes, trophy collecting.

* Also the 40 year decision has become less and less salient as players realize that being a football player at Oklahoma rather than Stanford is not necessarily an unwise decision from a life-time perspective monetarily or in other dimensions (as a case in point, in the NIL world don't you think Dylan Lonergan will make more money in his life having gone to Alabama than he would have going to Stanford?).

* I suspect but can't prove (especially because the academics of Stanford football recruits/nature of the application process has become so opaque, which I think bolsters my theory) that it is WAAAAAAAAAAY easier to be admitted to Stanford as a coveted scholarship football player than many of our fans assume. I don't think the admissions office is very tough on football applicants these days and with the continuity of Lance Anderson's role helping shepherding recruits through the process coupled with continuity in Mike Eubanks' operation, we are better equipped than ever before to hold recruits' hands through the application process. Sure, recruits have to ask for a few letters of recommendation and write a few short personal statements/essays. But it's not a herculean effort for a recruit to apply and be accepted to Stanford.

* There may have even been a philosophical change where we give/solicit applications from more recruits than before, a calculation (I would support) to give ourselves a shot rather than just treating admissions as the last wicket in the process for guys definitely coming.