Hey guys, I just caught up with 2023 4-star offensive tackle Olaus Alinen about his recent virtual visit to Stanford. He originally comes from Finland, which is cool. I told him my youngest brother served his LDS mission there, so we had fun chatting briefly about that before the interview. Below are key quotes. The rest will be saved for the article.
"It was great. Me and my family enjoyed it. I liked the structure of it. Great view of the goals and how they operate. As a school, what type of community it is and all about that."-On the visit as a whole
"For me talking with Stanford, they made it clear they like not only my football abilities, but how they like me as a person and how I’d be a fit for them. Their culture and team. I have the personality that fits well with their team."-What Stanford likes about him
"The opportunity at Stanford, it means a lot to me. I’m really proud of it that I’m able to achieve this opportunity. I’m still weighing my options and what fits best for me, but I’ll definitely consider strongly the academic opportunities there."-On Stanford's academics
"Bama, Penn State, Miami (FL), UVA, and Ohio State."-On who else is recruiting him the hardest
"We have a strong relationship, we’ve been talking for a long time. That he values our relationship and recruiting me really means a lot to me. How he cares about me not just as a football player, but as a person is a really important thing for me. Our relationship is really good. I would really like playing for him. I see him as a coach I’d enjoy working with in the o-line." -On his relationship with Coach Heffernan
"I’ll take official visits in June. If I feel really strong about a place, I’ll commit before the season. But if not, I’m willing to take as long as I need to until early signing day in December."-On a decision timeline
"It was great. Me and my family enjoyed it. I liked the structure of it. Great view of the goals and how they operate. As a school, what type of community it is and all about that."-On the visit as a whole
"For me talking with Stanford, they made it clear they like not only my football abilities, but how they like me as a person and how I’d be a fit for them. Their culture and team. I have the personality that fits well with their team."-What Stanford likes about him
"The opportunity at Stanford, it means a lot to me. I’m really proud of it that I’m able to achieve this opportunity. I’m still weighing my options and what fits best for me, but I’ll definitely consider strongly the academic opportunities there."-On Stanford's academics
"Bama, Penn State, Miami (FL), UVA, and Ohio State."-On who else is recruiting him the hardest
"We have a strong relationship, we’ve been talking for a long time. That he values our relationship and recruiting me really means a lot to me. How he cares about me not just as a football player, but as a person is a really important thing for me. Our relationship is really good. I would really like playing for him. I see him as a coach I’d enjoy working with in the o-line." -On his relationship with Coach Heffernan
"I’ll take official visits in June. If I feel really strong about a place, I’ll commit before the season. But if not, I’m willing to take as long as I need to until early signing day in December."-On a decision timeline
