[OutsiderFan]

Most interesting was the statement from from Shaw on how the early enrollment restrictions in the past reduce the number of potential recruits by 33%.

I buy that. There are numerous recent past examples of guys who were extremely interested but were dead-set on enrolling early. There are some we didn't even offer at all because of it.

I forget where I saw this stat, but over HALF of our offered targets from a very recent class (2020? The last one before our first early enrollees?) that went elsewhere enrolled early at their destination school. That's incredibly significant.

Shaw has stated recently in interviews that he wants and expects us to have quite a few more than the 3 that enrolled early this time around. They are doing well, by the way - combined for a 3.8+ GPA in their first quarter. Great data points to bring back to admissions.

Some people on this board knew two things had to be addressed with much more urgency than Shaw had:

1. Accepting early enrollees
2. Allowing Official visits before January

Failing to address these issues when they should have been addressed caused exceptional damage to the program. If I've said it once, I've said it a couple dozen times, the common denominator to all my beefs with David Shaw is his lack of urgency to adapt to changing conditions, and wholesale inability to be proactive and innovative, on and off the field.

Now we have the NIL dynamic to consider. Does anyone think Shaw is going to navigate it quickly and appropriately given his failures to address the above items in a timely manner?

When you apply his lack of urgency and proactivity to all other areas of the program, it is kind of scary.  The fact is David Shaw is far more concerned about his own comfort than he is winning. The one thing I don't know, but would be the worst, is if he hasn't changed assistants because he doesn't want people who will challenge him with better ideas on the staff.

Great managers always want more talented, smarter, ambitious people working for them. I see no evidence Shaw has any such person working for him.

[OutsiderFan]

Most interesting was the statement from from Shaw on how the early enrollment restrictions in the past reduce the number of potential recruits by 33%.

I buy that. There are numerous recent past examples of guys who were extremely interested but were dead-set on enrolling early. There are some we didn't even offer at all because of it.

I forget where I saw this stat, but over HALF of our offered targets from a very recent class (2020? The last one before our first early enrollees?) that went elsewhere enrolled early at their destination school. That's incredibly significant.

Shaw has stated recently in interviews that he wants and expects us to have quite a few more than the 3 that enrolled early this time around. They are doing well, by the way - combined for a 3.8+ GPA in their first quarter. Great data points to bring back to admissions.

Some people on this board knew two things had to be addressed with much more urgency than Shaw had:

1. Accepting early enrollees
2. Allowing Official visits before January

Failing to address these issues when they should have been addressed caused exceptional damage to the program. If I've said it once, I've said it a couple dozen times, the common denominator to all my beefs with David Shaw is his lack of urgency to adapt to changing conditions, and wholesale inability to be proactive and innovative, on and off the field.

Now we have the NIL dynamic to consider. Does anyone think Shaw is going to navigate it quickly and appropriately given his failures to address the above items in a timely manner?

When you apply his lack of urgency and proactivity to all other areas of the program, it is kind of scary.  The fact is David Shaw is far more concerned about his own comfort than he is winning. The one thing I don't know, but would be the worst, is if he hasn't changed assistants because he doesn't want people who will challenge him with better ideas on the staff.

Great managers always want more talented, smarter, ambitious people working for them. I see no evidence Shaw has any such person working for him.