[OutsiderFan]

The common thread I read is the parents of recruits high on Stanford have pushed their sons to do well in school.  So as much as the recruits themselves can only remember Stanford being a powerhouse, their parents probably weren't paying attention to big time college opportunities for their kids until they were right around 10, 11, 12 years old.  If a kid is 17 now, he was 10 or 11 in 2009 when Stanford shot on to the national scene the year they crushed USC in the "what's your deal game."  And obviously those same parents saw Stanford go to four straight BCS bowl games and win back-to-back Pac-12 titles since.

When Stanford performs that well on the field the parents have that evidence to show their sons that they can be great in the classroom and on the football field. Combine that with the "you'll be set for life with a Stanford degree after football" meme, the coaching staff and training programs, the weather/location, and a Stanford football scholarship is a pretty compelling offering to pass up. 

For my money, the recruit that really showed Stanford is appealing to a new kind of recruit for Stanford is Ben Edwards.  He was committed to Auburn and thought to be leaning to Ohio State, but chose Stanford instead.  This was a recruit who was all about wanting to play for a national title contender, who had offers from football factories, and saw Stanford as a place he could go win a championship, and get a superior education.  Nygel Edmonds seems to be a similar case.

[OutsiderFan]

The common thread I read is the parents of recruits high on Stanford have pushed their sons to do well in school.  So as much as the recruits themselves can only remember Stanford being a powerhouse, their parents probably weren't paying attention to big time college opportunities for their kids until they were right around 10, 11, 12 years old.  If a kid is 17 now, he was 10 or 11 in 2009 when Stanford shot on to the national scene the year they crushed USC in the "what's your deal game."  And obviously those same parents saw Stanford go to four straight BCS bowl games and win back-to-back Pac-12 titles since.

When Stanford performs that well on the field the parents have that evidence to show their sons that they can be great in the classroom and on the football field. Combine that with the "you'll be set for life with a Stanford degree after football" meme, the coaching staff and training programs, the weather/location, and a Stanford football scholarship is a pretty compelling offering to pass up. 

For my money, the recruit that really showed Stanford is appealing to a new kind of recruit for Stanford is Ben Edwards.  He was committed to Auburn and thought to be leaning to Ohio State, but chose Stanford instead.  This was a recruit who was all about wanting to play for a national title contender, who had offers from football factories, and saw Stanford as a place he could go win a championship, and get a superior education.  Nygel Edmonds seems to be a similar case.