STANFORD, Calif. -- This was projected to be a vital recruiting cycle for David Shaw's program long before it began in earnest, simply because the Cardinal were scheduled to see more than 20 scholarship spots open up.
After Austin Hooper, Barry Sanders and Graham Shuler all decided to forego their remaining eligibility on the Farm (either to declare for the NFL draft, to transfer or to retire), 2016 recruiting loomed even larger: Three more scholarships became available, meaning Stanford had about 25 open ones to fill.
Missing the mark on a class of this size can have disastrous ramifications.