[GK3]

As you and Lex posit, Alabama recruits extremely well every year, with one or two Solomon Thomas quality players every year on the front seven, so wouldn't that make it much harder for five true freshman to start? It's not like basketball and every good player is one and done. 

Our recruiting has been relatively deficient over the last few years, right? One would think it'd be easier to find four freshmen to play, especially as our line recruiting has be woeful.

And as Mick pointed out, there are smart kids that play for Alabama too. Not every straight A football player dreams of playing for the Cardinal. Probably even fewer these days.

So no, I still don't understand the point.

And what exactly is your point?

And how many of them were admitted to Stanford?

I find it hard to believe you don't understand the point.  A Solomon Thomas comes around to Stanford about once every five or ten years.  Alabama recruits two of him every year.

If you’re saying or implying that Stanford is on an even playing field with Alabama when it comes to recruiting or football in general, you can’t be serious.  

My wife’s much younger cousin hangs around with NFL players as his business - he helps organize signing events, gets them into shows and events (using their fame), plays designated driver for them, etc. Our cousin was hanging out regularly with a player from Alabama that was quite literally illiterate, and somehow he made it through three years of college. I’m not trying to pick on this guy - maybe he’s dyslexic, I don’t know - but the point is that the vast majority of elite HS football players don’t have a chance at admission to Stanford. There’s no way this guy was taking AP courses when he couldn’t read a book, a short sentence or even his own name (according to my wife’s cousin).  

It isn’t just the academic standards.  It’s also Stanford’s tiny fan base, the lack of local interest in college football, and the rigors of actually being a student vs. simply focusing on football. As the physical dangers of football become increasingly alarming, the opportunity cost also becomes a bigger factor - our kind of player always has a safer plan B outside of football. Stanford as an institution is ambivalent about football in a way that you’d never see at places like Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Clemson, ND, Penn State or Michigan.  

So there’s no point in comparing Alabama’s players or their freshmen to ours. That’s not to say we can never compete with them, but it would take a perfect storm of recruiting, coaching and luck.

Agree 100% 
That is the reality of the program.  We appeal to kids to whom academics are probably equally important as athletics.  Their vision of life after college most likely includes things not directly related to sports.  I have no idea what percentage of 4 or 5 star high school players could get into Stanford, but it is certain to be a very small number.  Further, no matter what we think, not all of those players will want to go to Stanford, so the number gets even smaller.  Then comes a year like this, where most of our best recruits are no longer playing due to injury.  This is the negative form of a perfect storm and leaves us in the position we now find ourselves.
Our situation is further complicated by the fact players hurt this year and on track to graduate next June could well transfer, or sign up for the draft.  Our top juniors could also opt for the draft.  It becomes increasingly unlikely that you will see our best players play out their college career at Stanford.

[GK3]

As you and Lex posit, Alabama recruits extremely well every year, with one or two Solomon Thomas quality players every year on the front seven, so wouldn't that make it much harder for five true freshman to start? It's not like basketball and every good player is one and done. 

Our recruiting has been relatively deficient over the last few years, right? One would think it'd be easier to find four freshmen to play, especially as our line recruiting has be woeful.

And as Mick pointed out, there are smart kids that play for Alabama too. Not every straight A football player dreams of playing for the Cardinal. Probably even fewer these days.

So no, I still don't understand the point.

And what exactly is your point?

And how many of them were admitted to Stanford?

I find it hard to believe you don't understand the point.  A Solomon Thomas comes around to Stanford about once every five or ten years.  Alabama recruits two of him every year.

If you’re saying or implying that Stanford is on an even playing field with Alabama when it comes to recruiting or football in general, you can’t be serious.  

My wife’s much younger cousin hangs around with NFL players as his business - he helps organize signing events, gets them into shows and events (using their fame), plays designated driver for them, etc. Our cousin was hanging out regularly with a player from Alabama that was quite literally illiterate, and somehow he made it through three years of college. I’m not trying to pick on this guy - maybe he’s dyslexic, I don’t know - but the point is that the vast majority of elite HS football players don’t have a chance at admission to Stanford. There’s no way this guy was taking AP courses when he couldn’t read a book, a short sentence or even his own name (according to my wife’s cousin).  

It isn’t just the academic standards.  It’s also Stanford’s tiny fan base, the lack of local interest in college football, and the rigors of actually being a student vs. simply focusing on football. As the physical dangers of football become increasingly alarming, the opportunity cost also becomes a bigger factor - our kind of player always has a safer plan B outside of football. Stanford as an institution is ambivalent about football in a way that you’d never see at places like Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Clemson, ND, Penn State or Michigan.  

So there’s no point in comparing Alabama’s players or their freshmen to ours. That’s not to say we can never compete with them, but it would take a perfect storm of recruiting, coaching and luck.

Agree 100% 
That is the reality of the program.  We appeal to kids to whom academics are probably equally important as athletics.  Their vision of life after college most likely includes things not directly related to sports.  I have no idea what percentage of 4 or 5 star high school players could get into Stanford, but it is certain to be a very small number.  Further, no matter what we think, not all of those players will want to go to Stanford, so the number gets even smaller.  Then comes a year like this, where most of our best recruits are no longer playing due to injury.  This is the negative form of a perfect storm and leaves us in the position we now find ourselves.
Our situation is further complicated by the fact players hurt this year and on track to graduate next June could well transfer, or sign up for the draft.  Our top juniors could also opt for the draft.  It becomes increasingly unlikely that you will see our best players play out their college career at Stanford.