If he would have come right in and just redshirted immediately, he probably could have been just as good. Going on a mission didn't make him better at football. I think you're underestimating what it does to bodies. It's not simply "oh I'm grown up now." Maybe for a few people, but for many they're not going to have any sort of advantage over getting immediately into a college S&C program and learning the plays. It hurts more than it helps.