This just doesn't seem as confusing to me as to most people. Maybe I'm losing it. But here's how I see it: Viramontes was brought in to compete at QB. With the exception of a session of spring practices, he never did. That's why we can't say with any certainty what he would have ended up like - scrub, backup, starter - who knows? No one does.
We also can't draw any conclusions from the fact that he's switching positions. My guess is that, like many college players, he's dreaming of the next level. He's probably now realized that no matter what his ceiling is at Minnesota - scrub, backup, starter - he won't be playing quarterback at the professional level. He's an outstanding athlete, so where does his mind go? To another position at which he might have a shot at the NFL.
Not a recruiting "failure" or a "swing and a miss". He may have ended up as a valuable backup or even the starter. Who knows? Just a situation where a kid has come to a realization of what his strengths and weaknesses are, and is acting accordingly.
If someone recommends the prime rib at a restaurant, and I see someone else enjoying the prime rib, and so I order the prime rib, and it unfortunately comes back hard as a hockey puck because the chef got distracted, that doesn't mean my order was a "failure" or a "swing and a miss". It means circumstances beyond my control affected the order. I made a good order. It just didn't work out.
Unfortunately, we can't return Viramontes for some chicken marsala.
