This is a busy enough week for Sean Renfree. The junior student-athlete
at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Notre Dame Prep High School has his final exams. He
knocked off theology on Monday, has math and chemistry today, followed by
Spanish on Wednesday. That academic onslaught comes right on the heels of
a busy weekend that brought Renfree to the Bay Area. On Friday the 6'3"
quarterback participated in the Elite 11 tryout in Berkeley. Saturday he
competed in the Stanford Nike Camp. Sunday he stuck around for Stanford's
Junior Day.
He may wish right now that he had not loaded himself with all of these thing,
but that ambitious itinerary is paying off. Previously the owner of
scholarship offers from Oregon State and Georgia Tech, Renfree more than doubled
his tally in the span of 48 hours. On Friday, Army made an offer.
Saturday saw in-state suitor Arizona jump on board. Then while on The Farm
on Sunday, Renfree reeled in an offer from Jim Harbaugh.
"When I went into the Junior Day, all of the coaches were really nice to me
as always. They always have been," Renfree begins. "I talked to the
quarterback coach [Mike Sanford, Jr.] a little bit, and then I went in and
listened to some of the coaches talk to the whole group. As we walked over
to the stadium, Coach Harbaugh walked up to me and we talked a little bit.
Then he offered me a scholarship. He talked about some things I need to
work on to come play there and compete for that starting job: quick release and
footwork."
"I was really excited to hear that. Stanford is at the top of my list,"
the quarterback continues. "I liked the whole coaching staff, especially
Coach [David] Shaw, their offensive coordinator. He's a really good guy,
and he wants me to come to their camp to see if I can handle some of their calls
and throws they have their quarterback making."
This was the third time this spring Renfree has visited Stanford. His
previous trips came in March and April. He had plenty of familiarity
coming into this visit to the Cardinal campus, but a couple of Junior Day
activities brought something fresh and new to this experience. Most
impressive to him was the player panel, which put the recruits and their parents
alone in a room with a group of Stanford players.
"I've been on the campus a couple times and have seen their dorms and
facilities. I was impressed once again. Obviously I got to see their
stadium again. I've seen Stanford a few times now, and every time I've
just been really impressed with it," Renfree relates. "I got to talk to
some of the players - see what their experience is and what made they come to
Stanford. I was able to hear from all the coaches and get some questions
answered that I had and other people had. I thought I was a little more
informed on the Stanford coaching staff."
"What was really important to me was that the coaching staff wasn't there
when we asked questions," he adds. "They were honest with that. If
they didn't like anything about the coaching staff, they would say it. But
they didn't have anything really bad to say. They were all really good
guys. I was pretty impressed with how articulate those guys were and how
well they answered our questions."
"All the players said that Coach Harbaugh wants to get that program in the
right direction," Renfree says. "He says that he isn't going to accept
losing. All they want to do is win. They're going to be really
successful, and they believe that they're going to be successful. I
believe that because all of the players have the confidence in the coaching
staff."
The first time Renfree visited Stanford in late March, most of the coaches
were away on a clinic. He spent his time with David Shaw. Renfree's
return trip for Stanford's Spring Game at the end of April allowed some but not
a lot of face time with Jim Harbaugh. He says this third trip allowed him
to finally get to know the Cardinal head coach.
"What I learned about Coach Harbaugh this weekend is that he's a really
competitive guy, and he's going to go out there every game thinking that they're
going to win. I like that," offers Renfree. "I'm looking forward to
going to their camp to see what it's like for me to have them coach me up - see
if I can handle it. I'm looking forward to working with him and the camp
and seeing what it's like playing for him."
June will be a busy time for Renfree at more college camps than just
Stanford's. In a matter of days, he is winnowing his school list to a
select few, where he will camp before making his college decision.
"I'll take the schools where I want to go the most and narrow it down by the
end of this week. I'll see who else wants to offer me and then decide
where to go," he explains. "The schools who are my favorites are Stanford,
Georgia Tech, Oregon State, UofA - those are the schools who have offered me.
Others I haven't gotten offers from but still like are Cal and ASU. But
we'll see by the end of the week who my top five are going to be."
Renfree says that the cuts on his list will come after he constructs a chart
with the pros and cons of each school. Stanford stacks up well as he sees
things today.
"It's obviously academics for Stanford, and their campus and facilities," he
allows. "What I'm going to look at most importantly is the coaching staff,
how I think they are going to treat me and how they are going to run the team I
will be playing for. I love the Stanford coaches. Every time I talk
to them, it seems like they are really good guys. They seem like somebody
I might want to play for. Coach Shaw, I get along really well with him.
Coach Harbaugh, too. Also Lance Anderson. I'm going to meet more of
their coaches and get to know them in better depth to see what that coaching
staff is all about."
This is the final week of the NCAA spring evaluation period, which should
bring the last offers to Renfree and set him for the next phase of his college
recruitment. Stay tuned for the news of his finalists and then the "test
drives" he takes at each of their camps in June.
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