[Austroturf]

That said, I can see why he wants to go now. His mission makes him a senior in age and he is married. There are no guarantees about what happens next year. Mills may leave and things may be rocky at least for a few games. Fehoko could get injured. Football careers can often be short. Deciding to take a shot at getting paid now makes sense.

This is a good point.  And it begs the question regarding the sort of production the Cardinal program will get out of another Mormon, Tanner McKee, who just joined this year after a two-year mission.  In the 2021 season, McKee will be a redshirt freshman, an academic sophomore, but already 21 years of age.  If Mills departs, it is likely that McKee will get the nod over Jack West.  But if McKee is truly the high-level 4-star prospect we all hope he is, he is also likely to leave after the 2022 season (his redshirt sophomore season).  That would be at least two seasons of production for the Cardinal program.

Generally, as has been pointed out a number of times on this board, this trend of shorter careers among Stanford players (which is an FBS-wide trend) should compel Shaw and his staff to start using young talent earlier, as true freshman if necessary.  Fehoko's impact has been a blip, nothing more.  Others have had a brief shining moment, then were gone.  Nursing a talented QB along for a season-and-a-half before he has digested the playbook will simply limit that player's productive years on the team.

[Austroturf]

That said, I can see why he wants to go now. His mission makes him a senior in age and he is married. There are no guarantees about what happens next year. Mills may leave and things may be rocky at least for a few games. Fehoko could get injured. Football careers can often be short. Deciding to take a shot at getting paid now makes sense.

This is a good point.  And it begs the question regarding the sort of production the Cardinal program will get out of another Mormon, Tanner McKee, who just joined this year after a two-year mission.  In the 2021 season, McKee will be a redshirt freshman, an academic sophomore, but already 21 years of age.  If Mills departs, it is likely that McKee will get the nod over Jack West.  But if McKee is truly the high-level 4-star prospect we all hope he is, he is also likely to leave after the 2022 season (his redshirt sophomore season).  That would be at least two seasons of production for the Cardinal program.

Generally, as has been pointed out a number of times on this board, this trend of shorter careers among Stanford players (which is an FBS-wide trend) should compel Shaw and his staff to start using young talent earlier, as true freshman if necessary.  Fehoko's impact has been a blip, nothing more.  Others have had a brief shining moment, then were gone.  Nursing a talented QB along for a season-and-a-half before he has digested the playbook will simply limit that player's productive years on the team.