There is a limit to how many undergraduate units are permitted.
Here is how it was historically:
If the student has graduated, they can’t enroll for a second Batchelor degree, that’s not permitted at UCs, State colleges it’s ok.
So we have something to offer the few students that earn a degree elsewhere or here in three years. Small pool to draw from.
If admissions are under the same rules as non athletes, it’s less likely that we can offer enrollment to someone for a couple of quarters that isn’t an academic waste of time. Unlike state colleges or out of state colleges, UCs don’t offer second batchelors degrees, vocational certificates or anything else to hang on the wall after a couple of quarters of work. Except a teaching credential or what?
So after five years at 15 units a quarter someone has 225 units but still hasn’t exhausted his eligibility. He is now about 24 years old and doesn’t want to commit to several more years for graduate degree. What reward can he get for hanging around?
CA Forever, I have a slightly different take on our QB situation. Appreciate all of our players. HR size must now be a concern, scrambling QBs Tarkenton (190), Flutie (181), and Young (216) much bigger.
Miles Hastings is young, a redshirt freshman. Has 4-5 starts under his belt? HR had a year at JC, 3 seasons, probably 20 starts. I don't think Moroski, O'Brien or Biggs were pressed into playoff action as redshirt freshmen w a young OC. Tough spot for someone so green, MH showed promise. If HR takes a lot of snaps, it limits reps for Faulk and Dixon. Glad I don't have to decide. Sam Young and Speckman will have add insight.
I want to make it clear that I don't have anything personal against Hunter or Miles. I don't know either of them, but based on some of their accolades off the field they sound like tremendous kids.
Speaking from a potential success of the team standpoint though, I'm really not sold on either of them giving us a serious chance of making a legitimate run in the playoffs. Both guys finished the season with more interceptions that touchdowns and neither showed any real signs of consistency through the season. Both had some good moments, but they both also showed that they are far from complete quarterbacks.
You mentioned Miles being young and that is valid. He has time to grow and develop as an athlete, but at the same time I look at guys like Tommy Mellott at MSU who has looked very good since Matt McKay entered the portal and RJ Martinez at NAU who battled injuries over the course of the season, but also looked very good when he was playing (Davis maybe loses that game if he was healthy). They are both freshmen as well. Those are just a couple of examples, but I'm sure there are plenty more examples of freshmen finding success even in tough situations.
I'm not a football coach or anything. Unless BIG strides are made in terms of development the offense is going to struggle. We lost some studs at WR and 1 of the best RBs in program history. That isn't going to make life easy for a shaky QB.
Anyway... I don't want to detract from the subject of the thread too too much.