[RuralFan]

The one thing that would make me take back this sympathy is if he is secretly colluding with powers-that-be to "demonstrate" that winning football is now impossible at Stanford. That always felt too conspiratorial to me but the more he coaches like this and the more he's allowed to do it the more I'll wonder.

I don't know what David Shaw thinks. I do know that he has said he wishes college football involved: recruiting freshman, coaching them to play well, and having them stay four or five years.  I believe this model no longer applies and will not work.  As I watch our games on TV or though steaming options I am stunned by the number of quality players our opposition has acquired through the transfer portal. Stanford acquired one graduate transfer.  Now maybe this would work if Stanford players weren't allowed to transfer out, but of course they are allowed to transfer out and some do.  My understanding is that Stanford's admission allows all most no undergraduate transfers.  If this policy continues, I don't think Stanford can operate a competitive D-1 football program.

Now getting transfers into Stanford is important, but so is getting them to agree to come for a year or two.  My guess is this requires an NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) offer.  Now Stanford has athletes in women's basketball with NIL contracts.  Maybe we are also competitive in football, but if we are not and want to be, we had better figure it out.

What about a new football coach?  Stanford can release David Shaw if they want, but what requirements will attract a new coach. Maybe a seven or eight figure salary will do the trick, or maybe Stanford will be required to fundamentally change some of its undergraduate policies. This must be a brobdingnagian pill for administrators to swallow that really just wish the problems would go away

[RuralFan]

The one thing that would make me take back this sympathy is if he is secretly colluding with powers-that-be to "demonstrate" that winning football is now impossible at Stanford. That always felt too conspiratorial to me but the more he coaches like this and the more he's allowed to do it the more I'll wonder.

I don't know what David Shaw thinks. I do know that he has said he wishes college football involved: recruiting freshman, coaching them to play well, and having them stay four or five years.  I believe this model no longer applies and will not work.  As I watch our games on TV or though steaming options I am stunned by the number of quality players our opposition has acquired through the transfer portal. Stanford acquired one graduate transfer.  Now maybe this would work if Stanford players weren't allowed to transfer out, but of course they are allowed to transfer out and some do.  My understanding is that Stanford's admission allows all most no undergraduate transfers.  If this policy continues, I don't think Stanford can operate a competitive D-1 football program.

Now getting transfers into Stanford is important, but so is getting them to agree to come for a year or two.  My guess is this requires an NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) offer.  Now Stanford has athletes in women's basketball with NIL contracts.  Maybe we are also competitive in football, but if we are not and want to be, we had better figure it out.

What about a new football coach?  Stanford can release David Shaw if they want, but what requirements will attract a new coach. Maybe a seven or eight figure salary will do the trick, or maybe Stanford will be required to fundamentally change some of its undergraduate policies. This must be a brobdingnagian pill for administrators to swallow that really just wish the problems would go away