The makeup of the student body has changed a lot

You can argue whether it's for better or worse, but there's been a distinct change as the standards have become higher and higher.

I think in many instances there's a larger and larger gulf between a "normal" student and someone on the football team. I'd also say the "normal" student experience has become much more intensified--as has being a part of the team--in the last decade plus.

When I talk to current students (or recent graduates) about what their days/weeks look like and all the things they're involved with it provides a very stark contrast to what my experience was like. On the football side there's been such an explosion of knowledge in terms of sports science, how to maximize your diet, your workouts, your sleeping habits all in the name of increasing performance.

And that's not to say there's no bond between the team and the student body. I'm just saying that my guess is there are less instances of guys on the team blending in to the sections of the dorms than there were 15-25-35 years ago. You still see them in class and work with them on projects, but they aren't slugging beers and playing video games on a random Tuesday night after parietals.