[socalstanfan1]

[quote author=Mick link=topic=12562.msg125301#msg125301 date=1440286171]
I think Hulk means that we rarely get Gene Washington, James Lofton or Ken Margerum level talent.  Great when we get it, no question, but we don't often get it.  We more often get very productive talents like Troy Walters, Greg Camarillo, the Whalens, DeRonnie Pitts, Vataha.

It's still an unreasonable statement IMHO.NOBODY gets Washington, Lofton, or Margerum talent on a regular basis because they don't come along regularly.  There's a reason we don't regularly get Lucks, Gerhardts, Washingtons, Loftons or Margerums regularly.  They rarely exist.  And I think you do Troy Walters and, maybe, Vataha, a disservice.
[/quote]

The general point is true: A talent like Andrew Luck doesn't come along every year, so rarely does anyone get that kind of talent. But I think it's a bit too simplistic. I'm very happy with how our recruiting has been going in recent years, but in terms of true premium athletes the football factories (VSC, Ohio State, Alabama, etc), where academics are either an afterthought or a nuisance, have a wider range of talent to draw from and, yes, have in the past put on the field generally more athletic teams. (We've done better with OL for sure) That gap seems to be narrowing lately, with Stanford's football reputation improving (which may be why more premium athletes last year and in this year's cycle, so far, are strongly considering us). If we were truly drawing this same calibre of athlete, why would there be so much pleasant surprise on this very board at the serious interest being shown by Demetris Robertson?

Our success in the recent past, especially in the Kevin Hogan era when we could not rely on the otherworldly ability of Andrew Luck, has been based on a disciplined as hell defense with good athleticism, and a grind-it-out offense that by its nature minimizes the athletic gap by grinding the opposing defense into dust and keeping the opposing offense off the field.

[socalstanfan1]

[quote author=Mick link=topic=12562.msg125301#msg125301 date=1440286171]
I think Hulk means that we rarely get Gene Washington, James Lofton or Ken Margerum level talent.  Great when we get it, no question, but we don't often get it.  We more often get very productive talents like Troy Walters, Greg Camarillo, the Whalens, DeRonnie Pitts, Vataha.

It's still an unreasonable statement IMHO.NOBODY gets Washington, Lofton, or Margerum talent on a regular basis because they don't come along regularly.  There's a reason we don't regularly get Lucks, Gerhardts, Washingtons, Loftons or Margerums regularly.  They rarely exist.  And I think you do Troy Walters and, maybe, Vataha, a disservice.
[/quote]

The general point is true: A talent like Andrew Luck doesn't come along every year, so rarely does anyone get that kind of talent. But I think it's a bit too simplistic. I'm very happy with how our recruiting has been going in recent years, but in terms of true premium athletes the football factories (VSC, Ohio State, Alabama, etc), where academics are either an afterthought or a nuisance, have a wider range of talent to draw from and, yes, have in the past put on the field generally more athletic teams. (We've done better with OL for sure) That gap seems to be narrowing lately, with Stanford's football reputation improving (which may be why more premium athletes last year and in this year's cycle, so far, are strongly considering us). If we were truly drawing this same calibre of athlete, why would there be so much pleasant surprise on this very board at the serious interest being shown by Demetris Robertson?

Our success in the recent past, especially in the Kevin Hogan era when we could not rely on the otherworldly ability of Andrew Luck, has been based on a disciplined as hell defense with good athleticism, and a grind-it-out offense that by its nature minimizes the athletic gap by grinding the opposing defense into dust and keeping the opposing offense off the field.