Found these quotes from QB Elijah Brown, DL Dylan Stephenson, and recruiting analyst Brandon Huffman:
Brown:
“It’s been a different feel than the past couple of years,” Brown said of the Cardinal’s recruiting efforts while competing at the Elite 11 Finals last week. “Obviously, they’re doing something because a lot of people are committing. I think they’re on the right path.”
Stephenson:
“It was definitely a little shocking,” said Stephenson, a Miami native. “I didn’t expect to see them go so hard after me or other kids. I kind of didn’t see that out of the program. Then it happened, I was like, ‘Oh, wow, I have to pay more attention to Stanford.’ That was before my first visit, and it’s taken off since then.”
Huffman:
“It’s been clear that they realize Stanford still has a name,” 247Sports national recruiting analyst Brandon Huffman said. “You can still get good players and be attractive, but you just have to put a little elbow grease into the recruitment.”
The whole article about Pac-12 recruiting
Recruiting success doesn't happen by accident. I knew there had to be some real effort and drive behind getting these commitments Taylor has secured. This article in The Athletic sheds light on what that is. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict Stanford wins more games than expected this year because intense competitive drive behind recruiting will also manifest on the field.
It looks like Troy Taylor is a mild mannered guy, but underneath that surface is a fire breathing dragon of a competitor that you must be to win in college football.