This latest ESD got me to wondering how important The Portal is in comparison to a signing class. I understand that I’m probably pretty much late to the table, but I’ve mentally resisted this Portal thing. I used to think The Portal was just an evil bother, somehow a team destroyer more so than a team builder. But now, for the first time I see, understand, that high school recruiting must be combined with upper class transfer/portal recruiting. Freshmen signings and Portal signings shouldn’t be compared so much as considered in combination with one another. They are not separate things, they are your team; and they are both important. But, they’re disproportionately important to your team based on the age/experience of your team. Young/inexperienced teams really NEED to get upper class talent/experience, whereas more experienced teams can afford to fill their rosters with freshmen recruits. OK, I know, brilliant Sherlock, duh, but I’m getting there, just tough for me to adjust/accept/recognize this new age of college football. I’m a work in progress.
The portal has been around since 2018. It's not even the primary issue for college football like it was when it started. When something occurs that is here to stay, you need to accept it quickly. You may not like it, but you do need to accept it. Five years is a long time to take to come to grips with an issue, whether you like it or not. I don't care for the NIL, but it's not going anywhere, so I've accepted that it's part of the college sports landscape, until something else is an option.
The portal is more impactful at this point than HS recruiting. Highly ranked players who get beat out during their sophomore year are all transferring. So schools are constantly losing depth pieces and losing players who would be expected to start as Juniors and Seniors, because they transfer out to a school where they can start now. It has to be maddening as a coach. Recruiting HS, recruiting the portal, and recruiting YOUR OWN TEAM so you do not have attrition. But its the new age. It also allows opportunities to add players who may have fallen through the cracks in HS. Tons of skill players at G5 programs who could start at most P5 schools.
Excellent point about recruiting your own team. And I guess that’s a constant thing. Also, I guess, even if a coach does everything right, highest bidder NIL money can result in losses. 2024 player retention/acquisition: High school recruiting Portal recruiting Own team recruiting NIL money budgeting Incredibly complex stuff nowadays.
