definitive answers from.

One factor I never thought of that may be at play is "stability" or lack thereof. He hasn't had a stable team around him his entire college football career both in coaching to some degree and certainly with players which is much of his own choosing.

In college he hasn't had multiple years under a single coach and a single system with the same players year after year after year.

Multiple factors including his own choices have led to him pretty much become a shaken snow globe just about every year of his college career.

I wonder what effect having NO ties of any substantial length to any coach or player or system he's been in has had on his ability to carve out a "place".

He's just been "stuck in there".

Cade Cooper comes to mind as well.