05-28-2013, 11:32 AM
I think you're comparing apples to oranges a bit. "Back in the day", before college sports became big business, it seems like it was a lot more common for a player to leave the nest for a handful of years and then be received with open arms and a HC position available at the alma mater. It just doesn't work that way any more. Coaches have to work their way up through the ranks and learn their craft. I think most AD's like to see success attained at a variety of stopping points. But I don't think that means Shaw is any less "true-red" than Marquess. He just had to work up through the system he entered. All we have is his word that coaching Stanford has been his dream job from the get go and the fact that he's achieved that end.
Of course, the modern counter example to that is Tavita Prichard who has not left The Farm yet and has risen in seniority progressively. But I would be surprised if he doesn't leave the nest soon to learn under other coaches and new schemes. But maybe he'll stay on campus for another 20 years, waiting for Shaw to give up the reins so he can prove how much redder he bleeds.
Of course, the modern counter example to that is Tavita Prichard who has not left The Farm yet and has risen in seniority progressively. But I would be surprised if he doesn't leave the nest soon to learn under other coaches and new schemes. But maybe he'll stay on campus for another 20 years, waiting for Shaw to give up the reins so he can prove how much redder he bleeds.