Post #469 breaks it down: At DT, UF lost three SRs and Collins to the portal. UF added three signees to replace the three SRs. They're -1 DT from last year. I'd like to see them add a NT type to even it out.
Think Tavorise Brown is going to turn some heads in the spring....bet he gets solidly into the rotation
Nah, just normal college football turnover. Some years a team gets lucky and returns a lot of players at a position like UFs OL- returns 9 of their top 10 guys in 2025. Some years you have a few guys graduate like UFs DTs. We had a lot of discussion about it yesterday on page #24. Myself, I talked a lot about it in posts #472 and #480. They were long posts so I dont want to repost them. LSS, Jackson is a big loss, but still return a quality 2-deep and other players. Adding one more NT type would finish reloading the position.
Yes... Looking forward to see what Brown and Taylor look like in the spring. Also want to see what Scott does at NT. Maybe UF gets lucky and doesn't need to add another NT?!?
He would have been perfect. If they don't add anyone before spring, we'll see what the spring portal looks like.
Not trolling so don't crucify me. These are questions that linger in my head. How come they didn’t try to keep the guys they already have? For example, Collins. I thought he was going to be a good player after playing his freshman year. Is he à bust or other teams offered a better deal? If more money, why did they not match it? Now it appears to me they are looking for replacements that more than likely they don't know personnally and probably will cost more when they already have these guys (DLs) on the bench just waiting for their turn to shine.
You pay what a guy is worth and how he fits into your overall budget. If a guy gets more elsewhere it may not be the right move to match given your roster construction. Collins had fallen behind some guys and didn't fit the numbers model.....we portal a small school guy for depth who fits financially and may be more productive. It's essentially moneyball. Certainly there are no absolute right or wrongs....you just have to hope the staff judges talent and spends wisely. Gumbs was a great move, Slackman not so much (not healthy a factor).
So it's a crapshoot? There’s got to be some formula out there that each team uses. Unless teams have the budget that OSU have they will only be able to sign players they can afford.
This has always been the case, the only difference is fans are seeing it play out in front of their eyes now. Cam was bought by Auburn because they outbid Miss St., Reggie Bush’s parents got a house, etc. The fans for some reason seem shocked by the highest bidder model. The entire model will change with each lawsuit until you end up with a semi-pro structure attached to universities. The biggest difference is now schools that weren’t willing to excessively cheat can now get in the game to the extent that their boosters will support. If you want a title, you’ll have to buy one or outsmart the elite funding schools. A state school like OSU isn’t competing with other in state schools for crowd sourcing funds like we do, thus they end up with a massive NIL budget. I will never complain that we aren’t spending enough, because I’d rather donate my funds to a better cause than over paid high schoolers. I love UF and its athletic teams, but NIL isn’t NIL. It’s pay for play with next to zero ROI. I pay my alumni dues, pay to attend games, and give to research instead.
Of course there is an element of uncertainty.....recruiting is no different than the nfl draft from that standpoint. But yes, uf will lose guys because they can't afford them.....unless someone with unlimited funds changes the budget, which is unlikely. Uf is better positioned than most, but not as well as a few of the crazy money schools
We were late to the game setting up "recruiting financial structures" than some other schools. When it became legal (sort of), there were a handful that had years long head starts on us.
I’m not even sure that it’s those alumni bases having that much more money. UF is one of the largest and most well educated of them all. The simple fact is that while some of us are passionate about sports, our fan base doesn’t live and die on fall Saturdays. If you go to Texas, there is little else they care about. It’s the reason their high school stadiums are on par with small colleges. The Florida fan base just has a much more diversified interests. Our theme parks, golf, rivers, beaches, etc. all compete for our attention and time. We like football, however it isn’t what defines us. Just my $.02.
All it takes is a few billionaires to fund the whole thing. Nike guy could spend 50 mil a year and never notice a ripple in his bank account. You are correct in if the desire is there.
Id rather go offshore than pay 3k to watch Miami humiliate us. That was my only game last year although i regret not being at a game toward the end of the year. I had to make commitments though and didn't see that coming.
