In this day and age you play your best players, period. If a kid is really so good that you hate the thought of burning a year, he's probably going to be gone after 4 years whether you redshirt him or not. I have no idea whether Stansly Mopanga, Josh Boyce or Chris Hackett were good enough to contribute as true freshman but if they were it's too bad because we never got to see their last year of eligibility anyway. If SR wins the backup spot and only plays mop-up duty, so be it. It'll still be good experience.
And I get it, QBs are a little different deal, but the same thing applies. If SR redshirts next year and plays really well the next three years, the likelihood of him staying around for a 5th year is probably pretty slim. With his size, he'll be a very draftable player if he plays well and he'll have most likely graduated too so that will be a factor. In fact, if he isn't considered draftable after his 4th year that means he's had some struggles and we probably have someone from the next 3 recruiting cycles ready to replace him.
The thought seems to be that he being a really good player is some sort of sure thing. Haven't we been that the road enough to know that there is no such thing?