[81alum]

I wonder how much our depth and talent level affects some recruits.  Unless you are a really exceptional talent you are going to have to wait your turn and earn your time.  If you can go to USC and start from day 1 maybe that is more important to some young players than than maybe winning a national championship.  Plus if you plan on living and working in So Cal, a degree from USC and being a starter on an athletic team is going to open a lot of doors. Most of us pretty much hate USC for sports reasons, but it is a very good university from which someone can go on to great things.

Good points, to come to Stanford you need to very much be a team player and not a prima donna, since so many of our players were extraordinary high school stars.  I think it is a great advantage for would-be pros to play on a college team with other would-be pros, making each and every practice good preparation for a longer career.  But some will want to generate amazing stats over a four year playing career, and when you have to compete on your own team, that might not be so attractive.

As far as a USC degree,"very good" depends on what you want from your degree.  At the undergraduate level, a degree from USC does open up doors in their alumni network, which is quite business-oriented and strong in their region.  For most academic purposes, though, I'd prefer to send a child to UCLA if we were restricted to large universities in So Cal.  (Graduate degrees are more idiosyncratic.)

[81alum]

I wonder how much our depth and talent level affects some recruits.  Unless you are a really exceptional talent you are going to have to wait your turn and earn your time.  If you can go to USC and start from day 1 maybe that is more important to some young players than than maybe winning a national championship.  Plus if you plan on living and working in So Cal, a degree from USC and being a starter on an athletic team is going to open a lot of doors. Most of us pretty much hate USC for sports reasons, but it is a very good university from which someone can go on to great things.

Good points, to come to Stanford you need to very much be a team player and not a prima donna, since so many of our players were extraordinary high school stars.  I think it is a great advantage for would-be pros to play on a college team with other would-be pros, making each and every practice good preparation for a longer career.  But some will want to generate amazing stats over a four year playing career, and when you have to compete on your own team, that might not be so attractive.

As far as a USC degree,"very good" depends on what you want from your degree.  At the undergraduate level, a degree from USC does open up doors in their alumni network, which is quite business-oriented and strong in their region.  For most academic purposes, though, I'd prefer to send a child to UCLA if we were restricted to large universities in So Cal.  (Graduate degrees are more idiosyncratic.)