(10-15-2024, 07:14 AM)lex24 Wrote: The landscape has changed. As far as I’m concerned of the only reason to redshirt anyone is that they’re not physically ready to play or they are buried in the death chart.Totally agree the landscape has changed. However I don't totally agree with your analysis about redshirts. Every year athletes have the option of entering the transfer portal and going someplace else to make more NIL money. Whether you redshirted or not doesn't really change your calculus there in the NIL "brave new world".
If Brown is indeed "great" and a high draft choice he will declare for the draft as soon as he is eligible. He is very probably gone after four years in any case. Redshirting isn't relevant in these cases. However, if he is "good" but "less than great" it may change his calculus in deciding the strategy that maximizes his NFL potential. If Brown burns his shirt this year he has three more years to create his NFL resume. This creates a much greater probability of him going elsewhere after year THREE because he has only one more year to "make his bones" and Stanford may not look like the best place to do it. This "corner case" may result in him spending three, not four years at Stanford. Redshirting him this year greatly reduces the probability of that because (worst case) he has a fifth year to play with. The only reason not to take advantage of this "benefit" would be if playing him for more than four games this year gives Stanford a greater benefit. IMO going to a bowl game would do that. Otherwise it is better to redshirt him. One (or even two) game "experiences" this year aren't (absent a bowl game) worth the risk of him leaving after year three when we still want him. If we don't want him it doesn't matter either way :-).