Stanford players are currently off until the beginning of the second spring session next Monday, but the program has enjoyed a pair of key developments this week.

On Wednesday, Stanford announced home-and-home series with Vanderbilt and TCU. The Cardinal have never played the Commodores or hosted an SEC opponent at Stanford Stadium. They'll travel to Nashville in 2021 and 2015, while Vanderbilt flies to the Bay Area in 2024 and 2027.

On Thursday, prized recruit K.J. Costello -- ESPN's top rated 2016 quarterback from the state of California -- chose the Cardinal over USC and Michigan. This was a critical victory for David Shaw for a number of reasons. Stanford hungered for a quarterback after not signing one in 2015, and their win for Costello also packed some symbolic punch: Both of Costello's parents went to USC, and former Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh is now at Michigan. It's looking as if Stanford's recruiting appeal has overcome 2014's five-loss season.

Harbaugh, by the way, hasn't been shy in discussing how he wants to duplicate his model of success at Stanford at Michigan.