[d4cohn]

The program will survive these losses and likely have a better year in 2020 than 2019 even without these guys, but this makes me sad.  We have at least 5 guys who would be candidates to start who are choosing to seek opportunities elsewhere.  This is pretty rare even in the land of the transfer portal for starters to transfer out.  There are only two reasons for this 1) their experience at Stanford has not been what they desire  or 2) They see better opportunities for themselves elsewhere.  Stanford is a world class institution that desires to be the best at everything, and when we have an aspect of the school that does not offer the best experience or opportunity for students, that is un-Stanford like and as a Stanford alum makes me sad.  There is a problem here and something needs to change to improve the experience and opportunities for these talented young men. Stanford is in the business of providing the best experience and opportunity whether it be academics or athletics.

or (2b) they liked Stanford but they care about a career in football and see that the guys behind them are nearly as good or better than them, which is a reason to have a better opportunity elsewhere. To their credit, they don't want to stick around to satisfy our "depth" or "be in the rotation", they want to play and be stars on a successful defense. 

For example, Quenton Meeks < Paulson Adebo.  

In the long run: 
Hamilton <= Rouse / Miller / Bragg / Hinton?  And unable to play tackle due to Sarell and possibly Little?
Williams <= DWP?
Swann <= Pakola or others that I struggle to name?
 
In the current reality, two good years of starting is all we can reasonably expect, with a third year being unusual. After that, they're either good enough for the NFL, out of eligibility, or better off going somewhere else to get the most exposure and try to show something new to the NFL.

Scarlett and Toohill are good examples of guys that should stay. Both had their first opportunities to become linchpin players and improved their standing to continue in football. By contrast, Swann, Williams and Hamilton would have relatively little to gain compared to the other two.

I wonder what someone like Thomas Schaeffer will do now - assuming the coaches want him to stay, which I would imagine they do. He's another type of player that might be getting his first real opportunity at Stanford in his fifth year.

This. Great post Sagehen.

[d4cohn]

The program will survive these losses and likely have a better year in 2020 than 2019 even without these guys, but this makes me sad.  We have at least 5 guys who would be candidates to start who are choosing to seek opportunities elsewhere.  This is pretty rare even in the land of the transfer portal for starters to transfer out.  There are only two reasons for this 1) their experience at Stanford has not been what they desire  or 2) They see better opportunities for themselves elsewhere.  Stanford is a world class institution that desires to be the best at everything, and when we have an aspect of the school that does not offer the best experience or opportunity for students, that is un-Stanford like and as a Stanford alum makes me sad.  There is a problem here and something needs to change to improve the experience and opportunities for these talented young men. Stanford is in the business of providing the best experience and opportunity whether it be academics or athletics.

or (2b) they liked Stanford but they care about a career in football and see that the guys behind them are nearly as good or better than them, which is a reason to have a better opportunity elsewhere. To their credit, they don't want to stick around to satisfy our "depth" or "be in the rotation", they want to play and be stars on a successful defense. 

For example, Quenton Meeks < Paulson Adebo.  

In the long run: 
Hamilton <= Rouse / Miller / Bragg / Hinton?  And unable to play tackle due to Sarell and possibly Little?
Williams <= DWP?
Swann <= Pakola or others that I struggle to name?
 
In the current reality, two good years of starting is all we can reasonably expect, with a third year being unusual. After that, they're either good enough for the NFL, out of eligibility, or better off going somewhere else to get the most exposure and try to show something new to the NFL.

Scarlett and Toohill are good examples of guys that should stay. Both had their first opportunities to become linchpin players and improved their standing to continue in football. By contrast, Swann, Williams and Hamilton would have relatively little to gain compared to the other two.

I wonder what someone like Thomas Schaeffer will do now - assuming the coaches want him to stay, which I would imagine they do. He's another type of player that might be getting his first real opportunity at Stanford in his fifth year.

This. Great post Sagehen.