Quote:It wouldn't just make them shy, they couldn't recruit many based on that alone.  Then again, they get really good athletes based on their academic reputation.  Same with schools like Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt (they don't pull the athletes like Stanford does)

 

As a Vandy fan this is something my school struggles with.  It works for you and against you.  Every year there seems to be a collection of kids of who are not only really good at football but are also concerned with the academics.  And they seem to get split among the likes of Stanford, Northwestern, us.... etc...  But its not a huge group and there isnt enough of those players to fill all these teams' rosters.  And lately Stanford has been getting more of them.  Our new coach was actually Stanford's D Coordinator the last few years so some of those recruiting battles we've been losing recently actually swung in our favor this last signing period.  

 

While it's difficult being at these academic schools because your pool of talent is a lot smaller.  On the otherhand, I think you've got more to sell.  If you've got a smart kid who is a good football player, I can understand losing kids to the likes of Texas or Florida.  Because while they are football powers, you can also get a solid education there.  However why would any kid choose Oregon St over Stanford?  Or Ole Miss over Vandy?  Your football experience isnt going to be that much better, if at all, and you walk away with a much more valuable education.  

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