[CTcard]

Now the question: just how many scholarships can we give this year?  I assume that the LDS players heading out on mission won't count towards the total number on the team, or maybe even for this year (wasn't there an NCAA limit of 24, which other teams have skirted by placing people in JCs or having them enroll early, or "gray shirt" by getting them started in school but not having them on scholarship for the first year?)  But Stanford has not done such things in the past.  We are already at 25, with the possibility of adding McCulloch and now Pryts, it seems.  I'm curious if someone has dropped away from us, and if we will only find out later today, or exactly how Shaw and company will work this out.  Any ideas?

The NCAA limit on "initial counters" in a given year is 25.
The caveat to that is that if a student begins school in the spring, they can count toward either the previous years' total (the academic year in which they enroll) or the following year (the first football season on campus) - provided there is room in the 25-cap.
Probably an example of this is Michigan which had 7 recruits start school in January and a very small class last year, so nominally could have around 32 in their class as listed by the services.

Apparently, a new rule is that a school can only take 25 LOIs over some relevant date range (I think it was January through June, or something like that). That's new so I am not sure of the nuances. Presumably that would mean that Stanford won't get LOIs from the kids about to go on a mission. That is mostly a technicality since a LOI doesn't mean anything after a year anyway - but it might mean that the coaches cannot talk about those kids.

Another thing to look for, if Stanford announces 25 LOIs (certainly 25 from folks expected to enroll next fall) then Robertson isn't coming - no room.

Regarding Robertson and how to weigh his extracurriculars in the admission decision: I suspect that the fact this is tied to the football program, in particular, might actually work against counting the extracurriculars too heavily.  Appearances matter, both inside and outside the university.  The appearance that one of the top recruits in the country might get any kind of preferential treatment because of his ability on the football field might very well be something the university wants to avoid.  In this case, it could even work as a disadvantage: were Robertson applying  just for regular admissions, or if he starred in a less noteworthy sport, maybe he gets in.

This is a little off.
Stanford gives massive credit for the extra-curricullar credit for football if you are good enough to get a scholarship offer. Without this Stanford would not field a football team, certainly not one that could win a game in the Pac 12. The "appearance" that Stanford gives some kind of preferential treatment because of ability in football is set in stone.

I have no idea whether the decision on Robertson is reasonable or not - hard to have a discussion on the matter without any data.

[CTcard]

Now the question: just how many scholarships can we give this year?  I assume that the LDS players heading out on mission won't count towards the total number on the team, or maybe even for this year (wasn't there an NCAA limit of 24, which other teams have skirted by placing people in JCs or having them enroll early, or "gray shirt" by getting them started in school but not having them on scholarship for the first year?)  But Stanford has not done such things in the past.  We are already at 25, with the possibility of adding McCulloch and now Pryts, it seems.  I'm curious if someone has dropped away from us, and if we will only find out later today, or exactly how Shaw and company will work this out.  Any ideas?

The NCAA limit on "initial counters" in a given year is 25.
The caveat to that is that if a student begins school in the spring, they can count toward either the previous years' total (the academic year in which they enroll) or the following year (the first football season on campus) - provided there is room in the 25-cap.
Probably an example of this is Michigan which had 7 recruits start school in January and a very small class last year, so nominally could have around 32 in their class as listed by the services.

Apparently, a new rule is that a school can only take 25 LOIs over some relevant date range (I think it was January through June, or something like that). That's new so I am not sure of the nuances. Presumably that would mean that Stanford won't get LOIs from the kids about to go on a mission. That is mostly a technicality since a LOI doesn't mean anything after a year anyway - but it might mean that the coaches cannot talk about those kids.

Another thing to look for, if Stanford announces 25 LOIs (certainly 25 from folks expected to enroll next fall) then Robertson isn't coming - no room.

Regarding Robertson and how to weigh his extracurriculars in the admission decision: I suspect that the fact this is tied to the football program, in particular, might actually work against counting the extracurriculars too heavily.  Appearances matter, both inside and outside the university.  The appearance that one of the top recruits in the country might get any kind of preferential treatment because of his ability on the football field might very well be something the university wants to avoid.  In this case, it could even work as a disadvantage: were Robertson applying  just for regular admissions, or if he starred in a less noteworthy sport, maybe he gets in.

This is a little off.
Stanford gives massive credit for the extra-curricullar credit for football if you are good enough to get a scholarship offer. Without this Stanford would not field a football team, certainly not one that could win a game in the Pac 12. The "appearance" that Stanford gives some kind of preferential treatment because of ability in football is set in stone.

I have no idea whether the decision on Robertson is reasonable or not - hard to have a discussion on the matter without any data.