Is this good? Seems not good.

Trials for world championships going on now. Huske first, Manuel third in the 100.

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Ledecky first in the 800.

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Bricker beats Regan Smith who left Stanford.

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Link to the article is here. Courtesy of Steve Wiltfong.


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Read that here. Courtesy of Adam Gorney.

Check that out here. I’ll add some thoughts in a later piece.

Read that here. Courtesy of Adam Gorney.

Texas, a team we beat, makes the final series. They will likely face ....... Texas Tech with you know who.

NFL rosters will get set Saturday. ESPN predicted the 53 man rosters for each team. Some notes:

* Stanford South is, of course, the Houston Texans. Brennan Scarlett and Peter Kalambayi are both expected to make the LB room while Justin Reid and Michael Thomas are both expected to make the safety room. Kyle Murphy, however, is expected to get the axe.

* Stanford East1 is the New York Giants. Kaden Smith and Levine Toilolo are second and third in a four tight end room for an offense that will use a lot of tight ends. Cameron Fleming looks safe as the veteran presence on a young line. Blake Martinez is ILB1.

* Stanford East2 is the Philadelphia Eagles. Zach Ertz is of course one of the superstars. JJ Arcega-Whiteside gets a chance at a bounce-back and things are shaping up for a lot of early opportunity - there's almost nothing proven beyond DeSean Jackson in the WR corps and first round draft pick rookie Jalen Reagor is out for the first several weeks. Nate Herbig looks like he'll make it on the line. And ESPN thinks Casey Toohill "has made some noise" and will make the roster over more highly-drafted second year alternatives.

* Andrus Peat is obviously entrenched as a mainstay on the line for the Saints. Ty Montgomery has apparently had a resurrection in New Orleans and has been a standout as both a runner and receiver, making it appear likely he makes it.

* The legend Richard Sherman is obviously entrenched for the 49ers and it appears Solomon Thomas is safe as well.

* On the Bills, Harrison Phillips is poised for a key role, especially with Star Lotulelei opting out of the season. Less happily, apparently folks expect Trent Murphy to get cut. Murphy is a very good player - arguably better than Phillips I'd say - but his contract is apparently just too pricey given the options the Bills have to work with.

* Bobby Okereke got a shout out as part of what the Colts believe is one of the best linebacker corps in the NFL.

* They have Henry Anderson making it with the Jets but says that coming off a bad year he needs to rebound to his 2018 performance.

* They have Jordan Richards making it with the Ravens because of his special teams value.

* They have Dalton Schultz making it as the last tight end for the Cowboys and note that he's had his best camp, especially as a pass catcher, and can also play some fullback.

* A foot injury makes Colby Parkinson likely to start the season for the Seahawks on the non-football injury list.

* Obviously a number of other guys are safe: Christian McCaffrey (Panthers), Austin Hooper (Browns), David DeCastro (Steelers), Jake Bailey (Patriots).

* Quenton Meeks is right on the bubble for the Chargers but at the moment ESPN projects that he will be the last DB to make the roster.

* They have Alijah Holder missing the cut with the Broncos but it appears he has a chance as a safety after a position switch.

* Same with James Vaughters for the Bears, outside of ESPN's current guess at the cut line but very much in the mix.

* They think the Washington Football Team is where Stanford dreams go to die. Bryce Love could make it but as of now project that he gets cut before ever getting a chance to play in a game for the Washington Football Team. They say "he hasn't captured his form from his days at Stanford" and a DB who could be useful on special teams makes more sense than Love, though it's possible Washington goes with five RBs and Love gets a reprieve. And they don't see Joshua Garnett making the cut.

* Trent Irwin looks like a casualty of a deep WR room for the Bengals.

Good luck to all our guys on Saturday!

I am curious what this group thinks or knows of Stanford's current recruiting staff. From rumblings I have heard, the recruiting results, and what I see on social media, I have some real concerns:

Here's what I'm seeing on the directory:

Preston Pehrson - Director, leads the group, in his third year from short tenures at UConn, Texas Tech, Houston, and NAVY

Albert Garcia - Asst Director, in third year from Fresno State. Was a technology recruiter from 2019-2021, worked in junior roles at Houstons Football program prior to that

Jordan Watkins - Asst Director, Stanford guy that we know, but started his recruiting career just last year, previously a broadcaster

India Zepeda - Asst Director, started last month, graduated from Fresno State undergrad this May

Natalia Chino - Asst Director, 2nd year in the program, previously on the Events team with the NY Giants and Football Operations at Wesleyan a DIII school

To me, it looks like this staff is light on experience, especially quality experience.

Additionally, there are social media posts that I find odd:

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Stanford is dead last. The starting projected lineup of Gealer, Dent-Smith, Agarwal, Okpara, Giltay is frankly very concerning. Would have liked to see the momentum from last season continue with a couple big moves in the Portal. That clearly didnt happen, would love to better understand why

Some here, @msqueri if I remember correctly, said they expect to take a step forward next year, despite losing Max, Oziyah, Blakes .. do folks still feel this way?

If CKS can coach this team up and finish with even an above .500 record in conference play, Id say build him a statue outside of Maples

Are y'all aware a 500-1 underdog, French Woman, Lois Boisson, ranked #361 in the world - and coming off an ACL tear 9 months ago - beat the #6 seed to advance to the French Open Semifinals?

She will face Coco Gauff, who took down fellow American Madison Keys in the Quarters and has made it this far in 3 of last 4 years, but never won.

The Boissant story is incredible, and is an example of why we find sports so compelling. Gauff will be "playing a road game" to get to the Final. Swiatek and Sabalenka will battle for the other spot in the Final. Really would be nice to see some raucous crowds over the next few days. Been a little bit muted so far, other than the amazing Boissant upsets.

On the Men's side, we have two Italians (#1 Jannik Sinner and #8 Lorenzo Musetti) in the Semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time since 1960. The #2 Carlos Alcaraz is in too. Novak Djokovic vs. Alexander Zrerev for the right to play Sinner.

TNT's first year of coverage has been pretty darn good.

Read and watch that here.

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High 3* flip from Syracuse. HS teammates with Omari Gaines, which I'm sure helped seal the deal.

Congrats and welcome, Zaiden!

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Read that here.

As I was lying in bed last night, I got to thinking about my favorite Stanford football wins, in my lifetime. The first three were easy:

#1 for me was easy; the Plunkett Rose Bowl. OSU had lost 1 game in 3 years; if they had beaten us, it would have gone down as the best Ohio State team of all time; it's still might be one of their best 3 year runs. They were loaded with All Americans. We had lost three games, including our last 2. We were HUGE underdogs. Our last Rose Bowl was in 1951, when we got punked by Illinois, Our last Rose Bowl win was in 1940. And yet we beat them. When it became apparent that the impossible was going to happen, and we did the Ax yell, I think the Bowl was shaken to its foundations. I still get chills thinking about it.

Deciding between #2 and #3 was tough, but I finally went with:

#2 2015, the McCaffery Rose Bowl. I mean scoring on the 1st play from scrimmage, 35 to nothing at the half, McCaffery setting Rose Bowl records, how can you not love it? Topped off my one of our best half time shows in memory, that had the Iowa people frothing at the mouth.

#3 My freshmen year was the start of a 12 year win less streak against SC. I HATE SC, even though I went to law school there. Any win over SC is great, but nothing beats the "what's your deal" game. To set the all time home scoring record against them - delicious. And then to have Harbaugh go for two when we had 48 points, so we could lay 50 on them, in effect saying F**k you, USC - wonderful. And they when we didn't get the 2 points, but broke 50 anyway, the cheery on top.

After the top three, it gets tough, What comes next? Is it "the greatest upset of all time", that kicked off the Harbaugh/Shaw wonder years; the triple overtime SC game; the 1970 Plunkett win over SC that finally ended the 12 year winless streak; the improbable come back "revenge of the Play" win over cal; destroying Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl; Walsh routing Penn State in the Blockbuster Bowl; anyone of several wins over Notre Dame who I hate almost as mush as SC? I don't know, and I'm probably leaving out some. What do you think?

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Read about that here.

Time to update my list of best recruit track results. Incoming scholarship players bolded:

100m
Brandt-Sims: 10.36aw
C. Farrell: 10.38 (junior)
K. Kelly: 10.66
Love: 10.68a (sophomore)
N. Peat: 10.73 (junior)
McCaffrey: 10.75aw (sophomore)
Ayomanor: 10.76
Ford: 10.79
Rector: 10.80 (junior)
Fehoko: 10.81a
Adebo: 10.83 (junior)
Barton: 10.84a
Tabb: 10.85 (junior)
B. Farrell: 10.87 (freshman)
Butler: 10.92a (sophomore)
Speights: 10.93
Wedington: 10.94 (junior)
Bowman: 10.95 (junior)
F. Owusu: 10.96a
Kalambayi: 11.00
Jo. Thompson: 11.04
Arcega-Whiteside: 11.13a (junior)
Scarlett: 11.13a (junior)
Logan: 11.14 (junior)
Holder: 11.19 (junior)
Randall: 11.22
Woods: 11.24c (freshman)
Utu: 11.25
Ojarikre: 11.29 (junior)
Carter: 11.32 (junior)
Bonner: 11.33 (junior)
J. Hall: 11.33
Garland: 11.35
Head: 11.35
E.J. Smith: 11.38 (junior)
Meeks: 11.39a
T. Bachmeier: 11.40 (junior)
Slocum: 11.43 (sophomore)
A. Jones: 11.43 (junior)
McComber: 11.43
J. Harris: 11.45
Mosley: 11.47 (freshman)
Black: 11.49 (junior)
Filkins: 11.52 (freshman)
Hudson: 11.53 (sophomore)
Cisse: 11.58 (junior)
Turner-Muhammad: 11.63 (junior)
J. Bailey: 11.68a (sophomore)
Hoffpauir: 11.69 (sophomore)
Whitfield: 11.71
Manley: 11.75
C. Richardson: 11.79 (sophomore)
Stephenson: 11.82 (junior)
C. Davis: 11.82 (junior)
Martinez: 11.84
Mangum-Farrar: 11.84c (sophomore)
McGill: 11.84 (junior)
Tate: 11.87 (sophomore)
Irvin: 11.90 (freshman)
T. Williams: 11.93 (freshman)
Starr: 11.96 (sophomore)
Ellis: 12.02 (freshman)
Sumlin: 12.02
Nicholson: 12.04 (junior)
Palma: 12.04c
Cotton: 12.05aw
Tafiti: 12.24c

200m
Brandt-Sims: 21.24a (sophomore)
Butler: 21.35aw (junior)
Adebo: 21.46 (junior)
Bowman: 21.47 (junior)
C. Farrell: 21.56 (sophomore)
K. Kelly: 21.58
Love: 21.64a (sophomore)
Rector: 21.65 (junior)
Ayomanor: 21.66
Bonner: 21.97
B. Farrell: 22.04 (freshman)
Logan: 22.07 (junior)
McCaffrey: 22.17a (junior)
Barton: 22.26a
Wedington: 22.59 (junior)
F. Owusu: 22.67a
Tabb: 22.69 (sophomore)
Ford: 22.72
Randall: 22.77
Jordan: 22.88 (junior)
Manley: 23.00
Zebert: 23.05 (junior)
Utu: 23.11
Slocum: 23.16
Head: 23.21 (junior)
Woods: 23.22 (freshman)
J. Reid: 23.27 (junior)
J. Harris: 23.27
Toomer: 23.30 (sophomore)
Meeks: 23.33aw
Garland: 23.36 (sophomore)
Karty: 23.44c (sophomore)
Mosley: 23.46 (freshman)
J. Bailey: 23.46a (junior)
Ojarikre: 23.49 (sophomore)
Holder: 23.5a
Filkins: 23.54 (freshman)
Stephenson: 23.55 (junior)
Ellis: 23.62 (junior)
McComber: 23.72
A. Jones: 23.75 (sophomore)
Turner-Muhammad: 23.81 (junior)
McGill: 23.99 (freshman)
T. Williams: 24.15 (freshman)
Hudson: 24.21 (freshman)
Martinez: 24.34
J. Hall: 24.35 (freshman)
Thorpe: 24.38 (sophomore, indoors)
Hoffpauir: 24.44 (sophomore)
Tate: 24.61 (sophomore)
C. Richardson: 24.88 (sophomore)
A. Harris: 24.95 (junior)
Starr: 25.10 (freshman)
Tafiti: 25.33
Cotton: 25.34c
M. Richardson: 25.41 (sophomore)
Gaines: 25.63 (freshman)
Sumlin: 25.8
Wyrick: 25.91 (junior)

400m
Toomer: 48.00 (junior)
Tabb: 48.26
Brandt-Sims: 48.5a (freshman)
Bonner: 48.76
Adebo: 49.74 (junior)
Zebert: 49.84 (junior)
Love: 50.84c (sophomore)
Crane: 51.26 (junior)
Logan: 51.42 (junior)
Rector: 51.66 (junior)
Antoine: 52.07a (sophomore)
Stewart: 52.23
Holder: 52.44c
Manley: 52.66

110m hurdles
Mangum-Farrar: 14.19
J. Reid: 14.61a (junior)
Jo. Thompson: 15.12
Whitfield: 15.42
M. Richardson: 17.31 (junior/last year before early enrolling)
Wyrick: 17.8 (sophomore)

Long jump
K Kelly: 24' 2.5
Logan: 23' 3.25 (junior)
J. Hall: 23' 3 (junior)
Ford: 23' 1
Toomer: 22' 8 (junior)
Jo. Thompson: 22’ 6
Holder: 22' 6 (junior)
Morris: 22' 5.5 (junior)
Bonner: 22' 4.5 (junior)
Rector: 22' 3 (junior)
Franklin: 22' 1.5 (sophomore)
Cisse: 22' 1 (junior)
Ayomanor: 21’ 9.5
Fehoko: 21' 8.25
Higgins: 21' 8
N. Peat: 21' 7 (junior)
Carter: 21' 7 (junior)
Bailey: 21' 4 (sophomore)
Ellis: 20' 11 (junior)
A. Jones: 20' 10.5 (sophomore)
Maddox: 20' 9
Zebert: 20' 8.25 (sophomore)
Slocum: 20' 8 (freshman)
Meeks: 20' 5
McGill: 20' 4 (junior)
Reuben: 20’ 3 (junior)
C. Davis: 20' 1.5 (junior)
Mangum-Farrar: 20' 1 (junior)
Hudson: 19’ 9 (sophomore)
Wedington: 19' 7.25 (junior)
Weselman: 19' 3.5 (sophomore)
Whitfield: 19' 1.5
Porter: 18' 8.5 (sophomore)
Palma: 18' 6
Randall: 18' 0
Karty: 17' 7.5 (junior)

High jump
Segina: 6' 0 (junior)
Manley: 6'0
Holder: 5' 11 (junior)
Owusu: 5' 10 (junior)
T. Bachmeier: 5' 9 (junior)
McGill: 5' 8 (freshman)
Filkins: 5' 8 (freshman)

Triple jump
Toomer: 47' 0.5 (junior)
Bonner: 46' 1.5 (junior)
Logan: 44' 9.5
Higgins: 44' 5.75
Jo. Thompson: 44’ 5 (junior)
Reuben: 44’ 1.25 (junior)
Holder: 44' 0.5
Cotton: 43' 4.5
McGill: 41' 10.5 (junior)
Ellis: 41' 4.5 (sophomore)
Whitfield: 40' 11
Randall: 39' 8
Weselman: 38' 10.5 (sophomore)
Hudson: 38’ 4 (junior)

Shot put
Nugent: 57'2
Uke: 56' 4
T. Phillips: 56' 0 (junior)
Sarell: 55' 7.5 (sophomore)
Kalambayi: 55' 0
Bragg: 53' 10.75 (junior)
Murray: 53' 8
Hooper: 53' 6.5 (junior)
Powell: 53' 5.75
Palma: 53' 1
Phillips: 52' 4.5
Nwafor: 51' 9
Keneley: 51' 1.5 (sophomore)
K. Murphy: 50' 10
Yamauchi: 50' 10
Armitage: 50' 1.5 (sophomore)
Lukrich: 50' 2
M. Richardson: 49' 10.5 (junior/last year before early enrolling)
Miller: 49' 7.5 (junior)
Booker: 48' 6.5
Shuler: 48' 5 (junior)
McComber: 47' 9
Briehler: 47' 8.5 (sophomore)
Yarbrough: 46' 11.5
Dalman: 46' 7.5
Maddox: 46' 5.75
Hinton: 46' 5.75 (sophomore)
Buckey: 46' 2 (junior)
Cotton: 46' 2
C. Symonds: 45' 11.5 (junior)
Higgins: 45' 5.75 (junior)
A. Peat: 45' 5
Fanaika: 45' 4
A. Hall: 45' 3.25 (junior)
Stratford: 44' 10.75 (junior)
Aybar: 44' 8.25 (second freshman year....essentially sophomore)
A. Fox: 44' 8.25
Cooper: 44’ 7 (junior)
Leyrer: 43' 8.5
Rouse: 43' 7
Little: 43' 3 (sophomore)
Black: 43' 1.5 (junior)
Hoitink: 42' 9.5 (freshman)
Martinez: 42' 6.75
J. Williams: 42' 3.25 (sophomore)
Mattingly: 41' 0.25 (junior)
Meeks: 40' 11.5
Burkett: 40' 11.5
Bachhuber: 40' 7 (sophomore)
Z. Brown: 40' 5 (junior)
Marceau-Olayinka: 40' 4 (junior)
Herron: 39' 11.5 (sophomore)
Heyer: 39’10 (freshman)
Sh. Taylor: 39' 9 (sophomore)
A. Franklin: 39' 5.5 (junior)
House: 39' 6 (junior)
Asiain: 39' 5
Umeh: 39' 3 (junior)
Scarlett: 38' 5.25

Discus
Bragg: 190' 4 (junior)
Buckey: 190' 0
Uke: 179' 7
Phillips: 168' 0
Nugent: 162' 9
Dalman: 158' 1
Sarell: 155' 6 (junior)
Palma: 153' 8
Powell: 152' 6
Little: 152' 0 (sophomore)
Hinton: 150' 2 (sophomore)
M. Richardson: 147' 9 (junior/last year before early enrolling)
Hooper: 147' 0 (sophomore)
F. Anderson: 146’ 10
Fanaika: 142' 6.5
T. Phillips: 139' 4 (sophomore)
Hoitink: 137' 9 (freshman)
Shuler: 137' 5 (junior)
A. Fox: 137’ 3.5
Miller: 133' 5 (junior)
Lohn: 133' 5 (junior)
Armitage: 130' 11 (sophomore)
Yarbrough: 130' 3
Cooper: 125’ 8 (junior)
Rouse: 125' 6.5
Umeh: 123' 10 (junior)
Leyrer: 120'

And another project, with some familiar faces:

Here is the Stanford women's basketball recruiting notes thread for May. The February-April thread is here. So check that if you missed anything. As a refresher, Stanford has a talented guard committed for 2028 in Jhaliana Guy. She's looking like the real deal. And then Carly Amborn, Alex Eschmeyer, Nora Ezike, Lara Somfai, and Hailee Swain are the incoming freshmen. Somfai, Swain, and Eschmeyer were the three McDonald's All-Americans. I hope to get some content out on them in the coming weeks as well. Very strong class coming in. Top five in the nation.