[Goose]

If I take Michael Rector as a classic 5th-year player, he came back after a very good 2015 to increase his draft stock in 2016 (which didn't really work out for him).  He got an undrafted free agent deal with the Lions, but was waived in the preseason of 2017.  He majored in Human Biology, so I have to imagine he simply delayed graduation to remain enrolled during the fall quarter of 2016.  Was that the way the vast majority of 5th-year players did it?

My understanding is that it was prudent to avoid taking at least one required class in your major to ensure you had an iron-clad reason you needed to come back for a quarter. If you did that, it was pretty much assured there would be no issues with Stanford or the NCAA. Otherwise, yes, that was what guys did.

Now let's take a current example.  Levani Damuni has been one of the better players this year on defense.  He redshirted as a freshman in 2019, so he has two more years of eligibility.  He would normally be a classic 5th-year player with his eye on the NFL draft.  Clearly, he decided that Stanford is not a place to position himself for a high draft pick.  He is also an LDS player, so is older than the standard 5th-year player, hence his sense of urgency.  But bottom-line: he probably would have done a Michael Rector if he thought the program was worth his time.  Clearly it isn't.  And that is the problem!

I would have to amend your text a bit to agree. First, what was "normal" in 2015 no longer is. While you could grad transfer back then, it wasn't common. You might be viewed with a jaundiced eye by many programs. It is common now. Second, the "worth his time" aspect of the program is an interesting issue. It is true that playing on a high-profile successful team beats the heck out of playing on a 3-9 team from a visibility point of view. OTOH, it is quite possible to take a grad transfer, go to another school, and sit on the bench. This can happen even if you are pretty good. That is a real risk as some of our transfers (both grad and otherwise) have discovered. It is also possible that (back when we were good) you would be surpassed by a undergraduate who was already on the team or would be arriving as a recruit (through the portal or a freshman). The coach (if/when he exists) may still want you as "insurance" but not be willing to guarantee how much you will play.

We don't have a coach right now, and coaches in a rebuild often want to play their younger players because that will help them in the future. The new guy may not want you at all or may not use you as much as you need to improve your draft stock. All in all, grad transferring this year is probably LESS risky than staying around. At Stanford, you really don't know what you are going to get. As a transfer, you can look over lots of options and chose the best one. Oh, and in addition you can get a paid-for masters in case the NFL thing doesn't work out.

There will be in the future 5th year players at Stanford, but many fewer of them than in the past. If Stanford returns to "prominence" there will be more than if we do not, because the visibility will be better to the NFL scouts at a better team. You will be on TV more. However, the grad transfer will also be much more common than in the past because it provides the athlete an opportunity to maximize his opportunities. He may be better off elsewhere for "fit" reasons.

[Goose]

If I take Michael Rector as a classic 5th-year player, he came back after a very good 2015 to increase his draft stock in 2016 (which didn't really work out for him).  He got an undrafted free agent deal with the Lions, but was waived in the preseason of 2017.  He majored in Human Biology, so I have to imagine he simply delayed graduation to remain enrolled during the fall quarter of 2016.  Was that the way the vast majority of 5th-year players did it?

My understanding is that it was prudent to avoid taking at least one required class in your major to ensure you had an iron-clad reason you needed to come back for a quarter. If you did that, it was pretty much assured there would be no issues with Stanford or the NCAA. Otherwise, yes, that was what guys did.

Now let's take a current example.  Levani Damuni has been one of the better players this year on defense.  He redshirted as a freshman in 2019, so he has two more years of eligibility.  He would normally be a classic 5th-year player with his eye on the NFL draft.  Clearly, he decided that Stanford is not a place to position himself for a high draft pick.  He is also an LDS player, so is older than the standard 5th-year player, hence his sense of urgency.  But bottom-line: he probably would have done a Michael Rector if he thought the program was worth his time.  Clearly it isn't.  And that is the problem!

I would have to amend your text a bit to agree. First, what was "normal" in 2015 no longer is. While you could grad transfer back then, it wasn't common. You might be viewed with a jaundiced eye by many programs. It is common now. Second, the "worth his time" aspect of the program is an interesting issue. It is true that playing on a high-profile successful team beats the heck out of playing on a 3-9 team from a visibility point of view. OTOH, it is quite possible to take a grad transfer, go to another school, and sit on the bench. This can happen even if you are pretty good. That is a real risk as some of our transfers (both grad and otherwise) have discovered. It is also possible that (back when we were good) you would be surpassed by a undergraduate who was already on the team or would be arriving as a recruit (through the portal or a freshman). The coach (if/when he exists) may still want you as "insurance" but not be willing to guarantee how much you will play.

We don't have a coach right now, and coaches in a rebuild often want to play their younger players because that will help them in the future. The new guy may not want you at all or may not use you as much as you need to improve your draft stock. All in all, grad transferring this year is probably LESS risky than staying around. At Stanford, you really don't know what you are going to get. As a transfer, you can look over lots of options and chose the best one. Oh, and in addition you can get a paid-for masters in case the NFL thing doesn't work out.

There will be in the future 5th year players at Stanford, but many fewer of them than in the past. If Stanford returns to "prominence" there will be more than if we do not, because the visibility will be better to the NFL scouts at a better team. You will be on TV more. However, the grad transfer will also be much more common than in the past because it provides the athlete an opportunity to maximize his opportunities. He may be better off elsewhere for "fit" reasons.