Outside Topic Luke McCaffrey enters transfer portal

[JJJ]

Nebraska quarterback Luke McCaffrey has officially entered the NCAA transfer portal.

The redshirt freshman from Colorado entered the portal on Tuesday, one day after spring semester classes began at UNL.

McCaffrey will remain on full scholarship and stipend this semester since the academic term has already begun.

https://nebraska.rivals.com/news/nebrask...fer-portal

P.S. H/T to Snorlax94 for the copy trick for my iPhone!

[Papa John]

Just like older brother Dylan. What's up with the McCaffreys?

[SamuelMcF]

Luke is athletic, but not a good QB. Nebraska was the only P5 school recruiting him that would let him play QB. Everyone else wanted him at WR.

Dylan lost the Michigan QB job to a younger player (and possibly the backup QB job to another younger player).

[Papa John]

So you're saying that it wasn't about the 40-year decision?

[SamuelMcF]

Dylan is grad transferring with Michigan degree in hand.

Luke is not. Not that a degree from Nebraska would be world-changing in the first place.

Both about playing time, as most transfers are.

Neither had a Stanford offer, which I'm sure Ed was not thrilled about.

[BostonCard]

Dylan is grad transferring with Michigan degree in hand.

Luke is not. Not that a degree from Nebraska would be world-changing in the first place.

Both about playing time, as most transfers are.

Neither had a Stanford offer, which I'm sure Ed was not thrilled about.

Does the fact that they are transferring out of schools due to playing time vindicate the decision not to offer?  Dylan had 35 career pass attempts at Michigan.  Luke has had 100 career pass attempts in two years at Nebraska.

BC

[Goose]

Dylan is grad transferring with Michigan degree in hand.

Luke is not. Not that a degree from Nebraska would be world-changing in the first place.

Both about playing time, as most transfers are.

Neither had a Stanford offer, which I'm sure Ed was not thrilled about.

Does the fact that they are transferring out of schools due to playing time vindicate the decision not to offer?  Dylan had 35 career pass attempts at Michigan.  Luke has had 100 career pass attempts in two years at Nebraska.

BC

Just because it might not be a rhetorical question, yes, it does vindicate the decision not to offer. It may be that the superior coaching they would have received at Stanford would have yielded wildly better results, but those same superior coaches thought they had better options.

[donkey687]

Dylan is grad transferring with Michigan degree in hand.

Luke is not. Not that a degree from Nebraska would be world-changing in the first place.

Both about playing time, as most transfers are.

Neither had a Stanford offer, which I'm sure Ed was not thrilled about.

Does the fact that they are transferring out of schools due to playing time vindicate the decision not to offer?  Dylan had 35 career pass attempts at Michigan.  Luke has had 100 career pass attempts in two years at Nebraska.

BC

As much as there was sentimental value to get another McCaffrey after Christian, Shaw made the choice to go with Mills in the 2017 recruiting class. Hard to argue with that decision. The question on offering Luke is a tougher one as we didn't take a QB in the class of 2019.  I think we missed out on a couple of whales and were planning a gap year in QB recruiting between West and McKee but then offered Hilsinki late in the cycle.  Luke's profile as a dual threat QB isn't too dissimilar to Ari Patu who signed for this Class of 21.  I think if Luke were on our roster as the lone QB in the rising junior class, we would have been happy that he was on the team competing with McKee and West for the starting spot next year.  McKee's trajectory will probably keep us out of the transfer market so I don't think we will get Luke or have much interest, but I would rather him on the roster than an empty scholarship which we will have or even Sanders who will be our emergency QB if McKee and West go down.

[Brickcity]

Dylan is grad transferring with Michigan degree in hand.

Luke is not. Not that a degree from Nebraska would be world-changing in the first place.

Both about playing time, as most transfers are.

Neither had a Stanford offer, which I'm sure Ed was not thrilled about.

Does the fact that they are transferring out of schools due to playing time vindicate the decision not to offer?  Dylan had 35 career pass attempts at Michigan.  Luke has had 100 career pass attempts in two years at Nebraska.

BC

As much as there was sentimental value to get another McCaffrey after Christian, Shaw made the choice to go with Mills in the 2017 recruiting class. Hard to argue with that decision. The question on offering Luke is a tougher one as we didn't take a QB in the class of 2019.  I think we missed out on a couple of whales and were planning a gap year in QB recruiting between West and McKee but then offered Hilsinki late in the cycle.  Luke's profile as a dual threat QB isn't too dissimilar to Ari Patu who signed for this Class of 21.  I think if Luke were on our roster as the lone QB in the rising junior class, we would have been happy that he was on the team competing with McKee and West for the starting spot next year.  McKee's trajectory will probably keep us out of the transfer market so I don't think we will get Luke or have much interest, but I would rather him on the roster than an empty scholarship which we will have or even Sanders who will be our emergency QB if McKee and West go down.

I thought I remember reading that Isaiah Sanders is returning next year. Obviously, he can run. But, he looked like a solid passer based on some highlights I saw of him while at Air Force. I'm not sure why he wouldn't have a shot at the starting spot next year - yes, we'd all like McKee to win it but Sanders looks like he can play

[SamuelMcF]

I thought I remember reading that Isaiah Sanders is returning next year. Obviously, he can run. But, he looked like a solid passer based on some highlights I saw of him while at Air Force. I'm not sure why he wouldn't have a shot at the starting spot next year - yes, we'd all like McKee to win it but Sanders looks like he can play

Sanders is returning.

He will not be starting. The Denny's menu can't be learned in a year. Though I do hope to see a little more Wildcat-type stuff (maybe a jump pass at some point?) with him.

[Phogge]

You mean hash out of a can and coffee that tastes like colored water?

[slide]

You mean hash out of a can and coffee that tastes like colored water?

too exotic.  make blander and then it fits

[CTcard]

Sanders is returning.

He will not be starting. The Denny's menu can't be learned in a year.

Agree Sanders likely won't be starting.
The second part isn't true. Second year players who have started QB at Stanford since Shaw came with a large playbook include Andrew Luck, Kevin Hogan, KJ Costello, and there is a decent chance next year will add Tanner McKee.

[pokey]

With regards to the McCaffrey brothers, considering Stanford has a bit of a history taking athletic QBs and turning them into effective safeties, is there a world where they would transfer as defenders?

Sanders is returning.

He will not be starting. The Denny's menu can't be learned in a year.

Agree Sanders likely won't be starting.
The second part isn't true. Second year players who have started QB at Stanford since Shaw came with a large playbook include Andrew Luck, Kevin Hogan, KJ Costello, and there is a decent chance next year will add Tanner McKee.

[JustAnotherFan]

Well Dylan won't be coming to Stanford to play safety. He's going to Northern Colorado to play for Ed.

[Pants]

Well Dylan won't be coming to Stanford to play safety. He's going to Northern Colorado to play for Ed.

The way ESPN abbreviated the headline caught my eye...

Ex-Mich. QB McCaffrey transfers to dad's team

Alas, not his dad's old team

[lex24]

With regards to the McCaffrey brothers, considering Stanford has a bit of a history taking athletic QBs and turning them into effective safeties, is there a world where they would transfer as defenders?

Sanders is returning.

He will not be starting. The Denny's menu can't be learned in a year.

Agree Sanders likely won't be starting.
The second part isn't true. Second year players who have started QB at Stanford since Shaw came with a large playbook include Andrew Luck, Kevin Hogan, KJ Costello, and there is a decent chance next year will add Tanner McKee.

True Frosh QBs generally don’t play anywhere.  And when they do, generally not very well.  The exceptions being the Trevor Lawrence’s of the world.  Andrew, of course, was in that category. But St Jim of Harbaugh decided he should sit in favor of the great Tavita Pritchard. No decision Shaw has made comes close to being that bad. (The closest is playing McCaffrey sparingly. It should have taken about 10 seconds to figure out that he should get at least 15 touches a game.)

[Goose]

True Frosh QBs generally don’t play anywhere.  And when they do, generally not very well.  The exceptions being the Trevor Lawrence’s of the world.  Andrew, of course, was in that category. But St Jim of Harbaugh decided he should sit in favor of the great Tavita Pritchard. No decision Shaw has made comes close to being that bad.

Well, one most important person didn't think it was a bad decision. Andrew Luck. Reportedly he talked Harbaugh out of burning his shirt. Was Andrew
as a freshman more capable than Tavita? For sure. But that was a truly BAD team with an OL that couldn't pass block. Tavita spent lots of time running for his life, or worse still didn't even have time to run for his life. Would we have won more games with luck at QB? Arguably not. I think Andrew was no
fool and knew this wasn't the year.

[lex24]

True Frosh QBs generally don’t play anywhere.  And when they do, generally not very well.  The exceptions being the Trevor Lawrence’s of the world.  Andrew, of course, was in that category. But St Jim of Harbaugh decided he should sit in favor of the great Tavita Pritchard. No decision Shaw has made comes close to being that bad.

Well, one most important person didn't think it was a bad decision. Andrew Luck. Reportedly he talked Harbaugh out of burning his shirt. Was Andrew
as a freshman more capable than Tavita? For sure. But that was a truly BAD team with an OL that couldn't pass block. Tavita spent lots of time running for his life, or worse still didn't even have time to run for his life. Would we have won more games with luck at QB? Arguably not. I think Andrew was no
fool and knew this wasn't the year.

I have never believed that story. For two reasons: the first being, as a competitor I can’t believe AL would not want to play.  Second, and this is the bigger reason, In the SJS game (second quarter, I think), Luck started warming up.  Not easily playing catch.  Getting ready to play.  Pritchard took Stanford on a scoring drive and that was that.

[CTcard]

True Frosh QBs generally don’t play anywhere.  And when they do, generally not very well.  The exceptions being the Trevor Lawrence’s of the world.  Andrew, of course, was in that category. But St Jim of Harbaugh decided he should sit in favor of the great Tavita Pritchard. No decision Shaw has made comes close to being that bad.

Well, one most important person didn't think it was a bad decision. Andrew Luck. Reportedly he talked Harbaugh out of burning his shirt. Was Andrew
as a freshman more capable than Tavita? For sure. But that was a truly BAD team with an OL that couldn't pass block. Tavita spent lots of time running for his life, or worse still didn't even have time to run for his life. Would we have won more games with luck at QB? Arguably not. I think Andrew was no
fool and knew this wasn't the year.

I have never believed that story. For two reasons: the first being, as a competitor I can’t believe AL would not want to play.  Second, and this is the bigger reason, In the SJS game (second quarter, I think), Luck started warming up.  Not easily playing catch.  Getting ready to play.  Pritchard took Stanford on a scoring drive and that was that.

There's lots of stories. Hard to know the level of truth behind them.

I thought I had heard it was the UW game that was the critical decision point (week after SJSU) where going into the game the plan was to have Pritchard on a very short leash then bring in Luck; but Pritchard proceeded to have the best game of his career. After that it was deemed too late to burn the redshirt.
However, it is quite possible the SJSU story was basically correct. At that game Stanford started out: 3 and out, 3 and out, interception, fumble; before putting a TD drive together.
Maybe both occurred.

After the fact, Luck seemed perfectly happy with having redshirted in 2008. What he thought at the time is harder to discern.

Anyway, the 2008 team was not terrible, certainly compared to what came before. The run game was nicely rounding into shape (200 yds/gm). The defense was far better than in had been (and better than it would be in the otherwise breakout 2009 season). The record was 5-7, with 3 one score losses. Given Tavita's struggles (e.g. his PER in 2008 was 114, Luck in 2009 was 143), it's hard to avoid thinking that with Luck as QB Stanford would have at least made a bowl game in 2008 (the bowl drought hit 7 years in 2008).

------------
More broadly, I agree that the Luck frosh year and McCaffrey frosh year were the two most glaring personnel-decision mistakes of the past 14 years. For some reason I find 2014 more irritating. The staff built an offensive plan that year that woefully misunderstood the strengths of the personnel on offense, with McCaffrey as exhibit A. The offense came around late season as McCaffrey started getting the ball more and broadly Stanford returned to things they were better at at the time - a power run game (which then was still mostly Power, zone-schemes started to dominate the next year) complemented by a high-percentage, first-down achieving pass game.