A defense needs to cover the entire field. That requires incredible speed, athleticism and awareness. In college the players simply aren’t good enough to accomplish that which leaves big gaps that offenses can exploit. In the NFL players are bigger, faster and smarter and can essentially eliminate any holes. The difference between NFL and college defenses is just much greater than the differences between the offenses because of the difficulty of the job they are asked to do.
The shotgun is used quite a lot in the CFL, and the reasons for it are the other side of the reasons against it that some have advanced in this thread:
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in a three down system, teams have to rely on the pass more than they do in the four down NFL, so that means that the extra time to read the defence is very handy.
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if you need to make a long second down, it’s pretty likely already that you’re going to try to pass, so going shotgun doesn’t really give that much away.
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QBs who are both throwers and runners are a valued commodity in the CFL, because of the differences in the game. Pure pocket QBs are actually commented on as a bit unusual, like Danny McManus - a good QB, but it was always a knock against him that he couldn’t run and pass.
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And, the defence aren’t quite the “freaks of nature” that you see in the NFL.
So, the value of a particular formation does depend a lot on the overall context of a particular league.
It’e not that playing out of the shotgun is frowned upon so much as playing in a spread offense. While pro and college offenses both primarily utilize the shotgun, a college style spread typically focuses mainly on crossing receiver routes across the field laterally and moving the passing pocket and/or quarterback towards the sideline to get players on the edge of the field, allowing receivers to pass through large windows in zone coverage, possibly outrun man coverage and get into larger spaces in the flats to move after the catch. It also essentially cuts the field in half, making it easier for the qb to read the field. At the professional level, players are faster and smarter so more advanced route concepts must be devised to utilize the entire field, forcing the quarterback to stand in the pocket in the center of the field and go through a progression of target priorities, which is obviously considerably more difficult and typically takes multiple seasons to master.
The shotgun works so well in college because so many defensive linemen are considerably slower than in the NFL. Unblocked, a defenseman in the NFL can get to a shotgun QB in 3 seconds. Theres a reason they time the 40 yard dash in the NFL combine.
Under center, you are now immediately surrounded by five 250 pound plus loads, who at the snap form a V shaped pocket around you, and if they do their job, as a QB you now have that 3 seconds to make a decision, rather than worrying if a 300+ plus Right Defensive End is going to spin move the Left Tackle and pancake you.
Ive brought this up before----in NCAA Div 1, alone, theres 2000-3000 seniors who graduate a year; only less than a 100 will make the NFL. Thats why you can do so much more in college than the NFL.
In terms of speed, for most players going from college to the NFL is like being the valedictorian of your high school to going to an Ivy League college where everyone is as smart, if not smarter, than you, and you barely got in anyway.