We all know the portal giveth and taketh, but is it an overall blessing or hindrance if you are trying to improve your roster? If you are the coach of a team looking to re-establish itself, would you prefer the situation pre or post transfer portal era? Personally, I think it's a hindrance. Yes, you can expedite an infusion of talent but how do you build continuity if guys can just up and leave over playing time?
A necessary evil in Napier’s situation, but something that must be phased out in order to achieve long-term sustainability leading to long-term success. Mullen and staff saw it as a quick fix- a way to acquire talent without having to “recruit.” It completely blew up in their faces and Napier is having to clean up after them. Programs will always suffer from weird attrition, like the Credit card 9 or freak injuries. The portal can fill those gaps. But long term success will come from evaluating and stacking the best HS talent.
Understood. I guess let me ask it this way: If you were a coach charged with fixing a team: would you prefer pre or post transfer portal era?
I prefer everything about Pre. Pre Portal. Pre NIL. Pre piped in music at the stadium. Etc. Sign me up for everything pre current era. Like I said, it can go either way. I think for a situation like ours, it's probably better to be able to access experienced players earlier. That said, and until this inevitably turns into real free agency (bidding wars), the guys in the portal are there for a reason. You can upgrade, but not the way you can with great, ground-up recruiting.
Probably the transfer portal. It seemed to have worked rather well for Mike Norvell, Josh Heupel and Lincoln Riley. Personally, I don't particularly like it but it is was it is. Although it's always been somewhat professional the NCAA has essentially devolved into another professional league.
Theoretically having the portal is better. Dump dead weight, more opportunities to upgrade. In practice all bets are off...
The portal will be needed this year and next. If we keep everyone this year and possibly add a few more, and add to the great start for 2024, we won't need the portal as much.
Ordinarily yes but a new team is being built with a new culture. Same reason some coaches can’t make the transition to a new staff. Hopefully we just get a tweak here and there from the portal a few years from now. We need some just to put a complete team on the field right now.
Depends on the school This era is set up for schools like UF. We can get a quick fix. And contributing talent should flow in, not out. Top tier schools coaches only get 3-4 years to prove it. So more avenues to get contributors the better If I’m low P5 or G5 I dislike it. Sure I get the scraps that can’t make it and transfer to a lower level… but I lose my best player who want to step up
I’d go post portal way. Easier to bring in guys that are proven at the college level to boost the weak spots, while building from the ground up in recruiting. Watching a lot of HS ball the last 4 years I can see it’s a tough game to really assess who is gonna be good at the college level Too much disparity in HS ball. Obviously there are can’t miss guys but they are the minority.
But we have to have stability. Imagine doing that with a roster full of the guys Napier is recruiting. They have nothing but leftovers.
