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Three-star TE Zach Giuliano flips commitment from Northwestern to Stanford

Newport Beach kid, not a huge shock.
Have to agree. Going from a ocean front city in CA to a Lake Michigan front campus and a temporary "stadium" also on the lake isn't a big draw. The NU administration really screwed the pooch over the Fitz drama. Are we headed to another version of the "Dark Ages"? A question I had was did they consider Skip Holtz for the HC job when they brought him on as special assistant?
 
Have to agree. Going from a ocean front city in CA to a Lake Michigan front campus and a temporary "stadium" also on the lake isn't a big draw. The NU administration really screwed the pooch over the Fitz drama. Are we headed to another version of the "Dark Ages"? A question I had was did they consider Skip Holtz for the HC job when they brought him on as special assistant?
We have a good head coach and we'll recruit more good tight ends. Plus, we already have some, so, let's not get too upset about any of this.
 
Have to agree. Going from a ocean front city in CA to a Lake Michigan front campus and a temporary "stadium" also on the lake isn't a big draw. The NU administration really screwed the pooch over the Fitz drama. Are we headed to another version of the "Dark Ages"? A question I had was did they consider Skip Holtz for the HC job when they brought him on as special assistant?

You’re being serious right now?
 
Have to agree. Going from a ocean front city in CA to a Lake Michigan front campus and a temporary "stadium" also on the lake isn't a big draw. The NU administration really screwed the pooch over the Fitz drama. Are we headed to another version of the "Dark Ages"? A question I had was did they consider Skip Holtz for the HC job when they brought him on as special assistant?

Skip Holtz? Good grief. 🤦‍♂️
 
We have a good head coach and we'll recruit more good tight ends. Plus, we already have some, so, let's not get too upset about any of this.
Not upset about anything. As for being serious? Yes. We are talking about frigging teenagers here, that have pie in the sky dreams, etc. Another thing, optics seems to play a big role in the decisions these kids make, especially if their parent's have alot of input. The program is in flux right now, which might give some kids some pause to come here at the moment. That isn't conjecture, that is a fact and this commitment flip and the Sullivan bail out just might give my little diatribe some solid evidence. The kids don't like the uncertainty of what is to come. Sure Braun seems to be a great coach, but let's see how it plays out in the next 4-5 seasons. The next two are more likely to be subpar with the lack of talent we have on the squad. You have the inept administration to put the blame on for this. I am glad we got a young, hungry HC that wants to win, but the demons of Fitz's firing will have to be exercised, and the new stadium opened before that happens. There is hope at the end of the tunnel. The question is how long of a tunnel are we going to have til the program gets to the 2015-28 level.
 
Not upset about anything. As for being serious? Yes. We are talking about frigging teenagers here, that have pie in the sky dreams, etc. Another thing, optics seems to play a big role in the decisions these kids make, especially if their parent's have alot of input. The program is in flux right now, which might give some kids some pause to come here at the moment. That isn't conjecture, that is a fact and this commitment flip and the Sullivan bail out just might give my little diatribe some solid evidence. The kids don't like the uncertainty of what is to come. Sure Braun seems to be a great coach, but let's see how it plays out in the next 4-5 seasons. The next two are more likely to be subpar with the lack of talent we have on the squad. You have the inept administration to put the blame on for this. I am glad we got a young, hungry HC that wants to win, but the demons of Fitz's firing will have to be exercised, and the new stadium opened before that happens. There is hope at the end of the tunnel. The question is how long of a tunnel are we going to have til the program gets to the 2015-28 level.

Sullivan left because he got beaten out by guys already on the roster and the coaches intend to bring in another veteran QB. Braun said as much in his interview with Shelton.
 
Sullivan left because he got beaten out by guys already on the roster and the coaches intend to bring in another veteran QB. Braun said as much in his interview with Shelton.
Yes. Sullivan could not be guaranteed the starting job and was told we are looking in the portal. Braun said so himself. I like Braun’s honesty. Hopefully we can or have found that QB.

I was one who believed our football program died when Fitz was fired, but I like the freshness of this staff and the proven ability of Braun.
 
Stanford degree. Warm(er) weather. Specific to this kid, closer to home.
Given that Giuliano originally chose Northwestern over Cal, Ucla, Georgia Tech and several SEC schools, it seems that weather and proximity have played little to no role in his decision.
 
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Given that Giuliano originally chose Northwestern over Cal, Ucla, Georgia Tech and several SEC schools, it seems that weather and proximity have played little to no role in his decision.

Closer to home seems to be the primary driver. And, ya know, the fact that he flipped from NU/Midwest to Stanford/West might tell you something about how he values location, no?
 
Closer to home seems to be the primary driver. And, ya know, the fact that he flipped from NU/Midwest to Stanford/West might tell you something about how he values location, no?
If proximity were the primary driver, he wouldn't have picked NU over Ucla and Cal in the first place.
 
If proximity were the primary driver, he wouldn't have picked NU over Ucla and Cal in the first place.

Seems pretty clear the kid valued a smaller, private school environment. While Cal and UCLA are clearly great schools, respective undergraduate enrollments of ~33k and ~32k stand in stark contrast to NU and Stanford at ~9k and ~8k, respectively.

From there, he took the Midwestern offer immediately then flipped to the West Coast offer upon receipt (literally the day after receiving the Stanford offer). Seems pretty obvious.
 
Seems pretty clear the kid valued a smaller, private school environment. While Cal and UCLA are clearly great schools, respective undergraduate enrollments of ~33k and ~32k stand in stark contrast to NU and Stanford at ~9k and ~8k, respectively.

From there, he took the Midwestern offer immediately then flipped to the West Coast offer upon receipt (literally the day after receiving the Stanford offer). Seems pretty obvious.
This suggests that a smaller, private school environment was the primary driver. Moreover, you're assuming that he wanted Stanford because it's the private school (that offered) closest to home. But there are other relevant differences between Stanford and Northwestern besides location (and weather).
 
This suggests that a smaller, private school environment was the primary driver. Moreover, you're assuming that he wanted Stanford because it's the private school (that offered) closest to home. But there are other relevant differences between Stanford and Northwestern besides location (and weather).
What are you even arguing? His first comment mentioned “Stanford degree.”
 
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This suggests that a smaller, private school environment was the primary driver. Moreover, you're assuming that he wanted Stanford because it's the private school (that offered) closest to home. But there are other relevant differences between Stanford and Northwestern besides location (and weather).

I’m assuming so because he explicitly told 247 that Stanford is where he wanted to be all along, just that they didn’t offer until recently.
 
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This suggests that a smaller, private school environment was the primary driver. Moreover, you're assuming that he wanted Stanford because it's the private school (that offered) closest to home. But there are other relevant differences between Stanford and Northwestern besides location (and weather).
Are you guys just making things up?

He is obviously a forest lover with an aversion to bears. As soon as he received an offer from the tree school he flipped from the wildcats which he preferred to the bees. Years ago, having a wildcat as a mascot was such a successful recruiting strategy for NU that many other schools followed which led the dark ages.

Only after NU hired a coach used to working with tigers and buffaloes did they return to prominence. NU has employed this strategy again in hiring a coach with familiarity in bison (fancy name for buffalo) and panthers (related to tigers). Alas, if the best NU can do is construct a temporary stadium near a small stand of pines, this may be suitable for bison and panther people but not for forest lovers.
 
This suggests that a smaller, private school environment was the primary driver. Moreover, you're assuming that he wanted Stanford because it's the private school (that offered) closest to home. But there are other relevant differences between Stanford and Northwestern besides location (and weather).
You're absolutely spot on, mate. He knows that the Northwestern first year head coach took over a 1-11 program and only went 8-5 with a bowl win over Utah, while winning the coach of the year honors to boot. The future looks bleak. The relevant difference with Stanford is that their first year head coach went a stellar 3-9, to match the back-to-back 3-9 records of his predecessor. Consistency rules!
 
You're absolutely spot on, mate. He knows that the Northwestern first year head coach took over a 1-11 program and only went 8-5 with a bowl win over Utah, while winning the coach of the year honors to boot. The future looks bleak. The relevant difference with Stanford is that their first year head coach went a stellar 3-9, to match the back-to-back 3-9 records of his predecessor. Consistency rules!
Or
maybe he understands regression to the mean.
 
Stanford now has the opportunity to regress in the ACC. That should help their record. Not so sure they will like games in the Carrier Dome though.
 
Sullivan left because he got beaten out by guys already on the roster and the coaches intend to bring in another veteran QB. Braun said as much in his interview with Shelton.
Have we heard of any definitive news about who they're actually pursuing out of the portal for quarterback?
 
Stanford now has the opportunity to regress in the ACC. That should help their record. Not so sure they will like games in the Carrier Dome though.
I’ve been to the Carrier Dome twice in the past. I looked up recent articles and noticed they have replaced the dome as part of $100M+ stadium renovation. I found during my fall visits to northern NY state (friends and relatives in Rochester and Syracuse) the game day atmosphere was fun, esp. the outdoor bbqs-we were invited to join by friendly Syracuse fans. So with the renovation I’d like to return to experience the improvements. Food is pretty good there too!

“The new roof is a metal-fabric hybrid, with the center being made of a semi-translucent PTFE membrane supported by a complex cable net with protruding arching steel tubes. The new roof replaces the prior 220-ton air-inflated roof, removing the mechanical requirements for inflation.”


The beautiful Finger Lakes are also worth a visit if you’ve never been and some of the historic towns nearby. Upper state NY is just brutal in the winter, I don’t know how my nephew and his family survive there but they love it. I hope to tie my next visit with a cruise up the east coast to Montreal via the St. Lawrence Seaway with a stop in the Adirondacks on my way to Rochester. If any other on the board have done this cruise please share your experience and any recommendations. Thanks!
 
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Syracuse's enclosed dome had the dubious reputation of while being named after the company that invented air conditioning, it did not have a system. It made for some awful conditions including a game with NU one year if I am not mistaken. The other issue was that the fabric roof kept failing under snow loads. Anyway, WCW, your advocacy for the place caused me to look up the latest and air conditioning has now been installed along with some other improvements.


For me a road trip to a 40 year old dome in Syracuse for a football game is pretty much a non-starter, but I hope the Stanford team enjoys the opportunity when it is scheduled in the future. Bratwurst, pretzels, wings and beer should be good.
 
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Syracuse's enclosed dome had the dubious reputation of while being named after the company that invented air conditioning, it did not have a system. It made for some awful conditions including a game with NU one year if I am not mistaken. The other issue was that the fabric roof kept failing under snow loads. Anyway, WCW, your advocacy for the place caused me to look up the latest and air conditioning has now been installed along with some other improvements.


For me a road trip to a 40 year old dome in Syracuse for a football game is pretty much a non-starter, but I hope the Stanford team enjoys the opportunity when it is scheduled in the future. Bratwurst, pretzels, wings and beer should be good.
I attended the aforementioned game with my wife and another Board couple. The tailgating was fun, but I cannot adequately explain how horrible the Carrier Dome experience was. It was 95 degrees inside the building at game time. Fortunately the 'Cats came back to win after blowing a big lead. Couldn't wait to get outside.
 
I attended the aforementioned game with my wife and another Board couple. The tailgating was fun, but I cannot adequately explain how horrible the Carrier Dome experience was. It was 95 degrees inside the building at game time. Fortunately the 'Cats came back to win after blowing a big lead. Couldn't wait to get outside.
Young Floridian Trevor Siemian pulled that one out for us, no?
 
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