of commitment Beo has for BYU, which while almost peculiar to BYU, is not usual for the #1 first choice university in the nation. People who grow up dreaming BYU and whose parents are willing and able to pay a premium to do so are indicator of the power of our enormous base. So that means there may be less of a chance that a big year by Beo might cause him to respond to other offers than i had suggested in the OP.

OTOH, regarding the redshirt discussion for walk-ons, you see no downside, but another question is what is the upside? Obviously, there is necessarily a little of both and i don't see the net upside. The potential minimal upside is more than outweighed by the risk/uncertainty of making less than optimal use of a grant 5 years hence. Not worth it for an improving program, imo.

There is no cost to the program whether or not the player redshirts in the first year. By keeping a promising walk-on on the roster, you can get a better look at how he will fit in early. As you well know, there is often a big difference between performing in practice and under the lights. It gives the player a chance to prove himself in the few game minutes he is awarded early in his career.

But the bottom line for me is that it is apparent that the BYU talent pipeline improvement is a secular trend, i.e. very long term (assumes excellent coaching). By redshirting a promising player, the program is committing a scholarship 5 years hence with the projection that the need would be greater at that point and accepting the risk the marginal player would better than an alternative available prospect at that future point.

It would be a long shot to plan on a RS who develops into a meaningful role player to stay for 5 years with no scholarship. There was the singular case of Cusick who indeed was needed as part of the three year disaster at PG and the Coach's repeated quest to find a better alternative. While Cusick was the best player available on the roster, the improving pipeline suggests the program should be able to attract higher level players than the distinguished Cusick was capable of.

If the walk-on turns out to be a significant contributor, he'll likely be awarded a grant, if not what is the point?

LOL. Reading this over, it looks terribly muddled, but i know what i mean, and can't imagine too many will care to read it.