It appears that one of the myriad Stanford Cardinal football players who entered the portal has stepped back from the transfer abyss.
Christmas Eve, we noted that Andrew Pryts was the latest Stanford Cardinal football player to enter his name into the NCAA transfer database. We also noted that the development doesn’t necessarily mean the linebacker is guaranteed to leave as he could always pull his name out.
According to a Stanford Cardinal football official, that’s exactly what has happened as Pryts’ name no longer appears in the portal. The withdrawal was first reported by 247Sports.com.
If the reversal holds, it would be a huge get for David Shaw‘s Stanford Cardinal football program.
Pryts started all 12 games for the Cardinal this season. The redshirt junior led the team in tackles with 71.
All told, the Pennsylvania native has thus far played in 26 games during his time at the Pac-12 school.
Including Pryts, at least 15 Stanford Cardinal football players have entered the portal this cycle. One of those, defensive linemen Michael Williams, explained to 247Sports.com at least a partial reasoning behind the exceptionally-high exodus numbers:Williams, a two-year starter, told 247Sports that this big run of transfer portal entrants was somewhat expected in Palo Alto. In fact, head coach David Shaw encouraged his players to explore their options knowing how hard it can be to get into graduate school. Williams labeled potential entry into some Stanford graduate programs as “nearly impossible.”
He said Shaw left the door open for the team’s fifth-year seniors to return to school if they want.
“He wants to make the best decisions for us,” Williams said. “He wants us to make the best decisions for ourselves. I appreciate him for it. He actually told me: ‘Visit anywhere you want. Do anything you want to do. Just make the best decision for you. If Stanford is the best decision for you then I know you’ll come.’
