[Goose]

I am also trying to wrap my head around that.  5th-year seniors are not a new phenomenon.  At least they used to be fairly common.  Is a 5th-year senior some kind of oddity today?  Assuming a player redshirts his freshman year (relatively standard practice during Shaw's tenure) and has four years of eligibility at the beginning of his academic sophomore year, then full usage of that eligibility requires a 5th academic year.  What did all those previous 5th-year seniors do?  Did they push some undergraduate courses into their 5th years to remain enrolled?  What, other than the portal, has changed?

What has changed is that before the portal existed the football players who redshirted had no alternative other than delay graduation to play another year at Stanford. They couldn't go elsewhere. Now they can. It is that simple. Back in the day some guys actually went to graduate school at Stanford if they could, but most couldn't. Grad transfers have been possible even longer than the current wild west and indeed they have changed the landscape. The ability to grad transfer is a GREAT thing for the players, as they can get all or part of a master's paid for that before they themselves would have to pay for. In many cases I fear the new, "improved" system where anybody can transfer will make it more difficult for the grad transfers to find a gig. A good player you can use for two years is better than an equivalent player you only can use for one.

[Goose]

I am also trying to wrap my head around that.  5th-year seniors are not a new phenomenon.  At least they used to be fairly common.  Is a 5th-year senior some kind of oddity today?  Assuming a player redshirts his freshman year (relatively standard practice during Shaw's tenure) and has four years of eligibility at the beginning of his academic sophomore year, then full usage of that eligibility requires a 5th academic year.  What did all those previous 5th-year seniors do?  Did they push some undergraduate courses into their 5th years to remain enrolled?  What, other than the portal, has changed?

What has changed is that before the portal existed the football players who redshirted had no alternative other than delay graduation to play another year at Stanford. They couldn't go elsewhere. Now they can. It is that simple. Back in the day some guys actually went to graduate school at Stanford if they could, but most couldn't. Grad transfers have been possible even longer than the current wild west and indeed they have changed the landscape. The ability to grad transfer is a GREAT thing for the players, as they can get all or part of a master's paid for that before they themselves would have to pay for. In many cases I fear the new, "improved" system where anybody can transfer will make it more difficult for the grad transfers to find a gig. A good player you can use for two years is better than an equivalent player you only can use for one.