[CardinalSagehen]

I'm a little stumped on his thought process.  He had a reasonable chance of starting next year, unless someone whispered in his ear.  Hard to see any major FBS program offering him as much playing time as he had at Stanford.  I could see Luck flat out telling TT that --one way or another -- the team needs more than the Daniels/Lamson duo has to offer.... 

I'm not surprised at all. This is a rational decision by a rational human being. After two years as the starter at Stanford, Daniels observed that he has plateaued at a level that will never get him to the NFL (or to a bowl game). Maybe the OL and running game will improve to make his job easier, thanks to speculative inbound transfers, but wouldn't he rather choose a new environment where both of these factors are already in place and therefore more in his control? Wouldn't he at least try a new environment where he might flourish due to any combination of coaching and the surrounding cast? We fans are making the same observation but in reverse - why not try a new QB at this point? Maybe it's Ashton's fault, maybe it's not, but we've put two years into the experiment now.

Also note several additional factors: 
1) he is graduating early and leaving as a grad transfer, so he's not trading off a Stanford degree; 
2) he still has his redshirt, so he could spend his first year in a new system as a backup and still have another bite at the apple the following year; 
3) as you say, Stanford might overrecruit him with an inbound transfer or underclassman;
4) other programs will likely have more money for him than Stanford, which is likely to offer its money to other inbound transfers; 
5) he may still be able to return to Stanford after testing the waters, although it seems very unlikely and would be a worst-case scenario for him. 

The worst of all worlds for him would be to become the new Justin Lamson, sticking around to burn his eligibility on a limited role when he could have entered a better situation.

Daniels may have done us a favor by making the first move so that Luck, Taylor, and Admissions have no illusions or fallback plans related to our QB situation for next season. I think the right thing happened here for all parties. 

Best of luck to Ashton! I have enjoyed watching his incredible grit, toughness, and athleticism!

[CardinalSagehen]

I'm a little stumped on his thought process.  He had a reasonable chance of starting next year, unless someone whispered in his ear.  Hard to see any major FBS program offering him as much playing time as he had at Stanford.  I could see Luck flat out telling TT that --one way or another -- the team needs more than the Daniels/Lamson duo has to offer.... 

I'm not surprised at all. This is a rational decision by a rational human being. After two years as the starter at Stanford, Daniels observed that he has plateaued at a level that will never get him to the NFL (or to a bowl game). Maybe the OL and running game will improve to make his job easier, thanks to speculative inbound transfers, but wouldn't he rather choose a new environment where both of these factors are already in place and therefore more in his control? Wouldn't he at least try a new environment where he might flourish due to any combination of coaching and the surrounding cast? We fans are making the same observation but in reverse - why not try a new QB at this point? Maybe it's Ashton's fault, maybe it's not, but we've put two years into the experiment now.

Also note several additional factors: 
1) he is graduating early and leaving as a grad transfer, so he's not trading off a Stanford degree; 
2) he still has his redshirt, so he could spend his first year in a new system as a backup and still have another bite at the apple the following year; 
3) as you say, Stanford might overrecruit him with an inbound transfer or underclassman;
4) other programs will likely have more money for him than Stanford, which is likely to offer its money to other inbound transfers; 
5) he may still be able to return to Stanford after testing the waters, although it seems very unlikely and would be a worst-case scenario for him. 

The worst of all worlds for him would be to become the new Justin Lamson, sticking around to burn his eligibility on a limited role when he could have entered a better situation.

Daniels may have done us a favor by making the first move so that Luck, Taylor, and Admissions have no illusions or fallback plans related to our QB situation for next season. I think the right thing happened here for all parties. 

Best of luck to Ashton! I have enjoyed watching his incredible grit, toughness, and athleticism!