Hey guys, I just caught up with 2023 3-star defensive end Armel Mukam about why he chose Stanford. Below are key quotes. The rest will be saved for the article.
On why he chose Stanford: "So, I came to Stanford first because it’s one of the best programs in the country. I really feel like because COVID is now over, Stanford is going to be back on top. There’s lots of stability with the coaching staff. At a lot of programs, coaches come and go. Coach Shaw is at Stanford. He had a lot of opportunities, but he’s here to stay. The same with Coach Reynolds. When I went on the OV, we spent a lot of time talking about academics. You don’t have to pick your major until the end of sophomore year. It’s nice because as young adults, don’t always know what you want to do. Just that time to explore different options. They call it class shopping. That was big for me. Seeing what you like and what you don’t like."
On David Shaw: "As a coach, he’s calm. He’s not the coach that’s gonna be yelling at this players and jumping around. But he knows football. He was keeping it one hundred with me about Stanford. I asked him where I was gonna play. He said I don’t know. If you stay at 260, you’ll play at outside. But if I grow up to 280, I’ll play inside. Even if I stay at 260, they might play me at inside sometimes."
On Diron Reynolds: "Coach Reynolds, I like a lot of stuff about him. He’s also at Stanford to stay. He knows football, too. He knows what he’s talking about. He’s really genuine, he wasn’t faking it. He really liked me. Eating breakfast with me, lunch, dinner."
On what he's most looking forward to about Stanford: "Just being surrounded by people that wanna succeed. When I go to Stanford, I can’t wait to be surrounded by people that are brilliant and know what they want to do in life. Like the next president of the United States or the next CEO of a big company. People that want to be successful on the football field, basketball court, volleyball court. I also feel like at Stanford, people will help you and give you all the tools you need to be successful in life."
On why he chose Stanford: "So, I came to Stanford first because it’s one of the best programs in the country. I really feel like because COVID is now over, Stanford is going to be back on top. There’s lots of stability with the coaching staff. At a lot of programs, coaches come and go. Coach Shaw is at Stanford. He had a lot of opportunities, but he’s here to stay. The same with Coach Reynolds. When I went on the OV, we spent a lot of time talking about academics. You don’t have to pick your major until the end of sophomore year. It’s nice because as young adults, don’t always know what you want to do. Just that time to explore different options. They call it class shopping. That was big for me. Seeing what you like and what you don’t like."
On David Shaw: "As a coach, he’s calm. He’s not the coach that’s gonna be yelling at this players and jumping around. But he knows football. He was keeping it one hundred with me about Stanford. I asked him where I was gonna play. He said I don’t know. If you stay at 260, you’ll play at outside. But if I grow up to 280, I’ll play inside. Even if I stay at 260, they might play me at inside sometimes."
On Diron Reynolds: "Coach Reynolds, I like a lot of stuff about him. He’s also at Stanford to stay. He knows football, too. He knows what he’s talking about. He’s really genuine, he wasn’t faking it. He really liked me. Eating breakfast with me, lunch, dinner."
On what he's most looking forward to about Stanford: "Just being surrounded by people that wanna succeed. When I go to Stanford, I can’t wait to be surrounded by people that are brilliant and know what they want to do in life. Like the next president of the United States or the next CEO of a big company. People that want to be successful on the football field, basketball court, volleyball court. I also feel like at Stanford, people will help you and give you all the tools you need to be successful in life."
