Portal Watch 2022-23

[TromboneJacket]

Real bad look for Nate. To publicly lobby for Key to be the full-time head coach and then leave the school anyway barely a week after Key gets the job.

 

[whitegoldsphinx]

Nate said he was going in the portal and he did. No surprise here, not sure why anyone is surprised. All we can do is try to outbid for his services. Better to just hand the reins to Rutherford and see what he can do. Maybe we get a comparable replacement in the portal.

 

[Buzzbomb]

 

[JacketOff]

If Nate goes it will be 2 years in a row our best offensive weapon leaves with eligibility remaining. If he goes UGA it will mean both of them end up at SEC powerhouses. Effectively making GT and schools like us a farm system for big schools, which are already a farm system for the NFL. It’s a broken system that needs to be changed, IMO. If NIL money is going to be the primary factor in where somebody decides to go to school and play football, then it is no longer an amateur sport. I have no problem with players getting paid what they’re worth, but I do have a problem with trying to act like it’s under the guise of amateurism. Call the players what they are, professionals. Make them employees, give them contracts to sign, and pay them a salary. If the players choose to go to school they can do that, if not they don’t have to. Put the teams on a salary cap, allow free agency and trades, come up with some sort of draft system. If a player wants to get paid $100k plus to play football he has to consent to the rules of the league and allow himself to be drafted, traded, etc. Most universities now offer some degree programs online, if a kid wants to get paid to play and get a degree from a certain school in a different part of the country they can go that route.

For the schools who don’t want to get into professionalism, go back to the old rules. You get a full scholarship, all books and board covered, no additional cash from playing. If you get to school and decide you just want the cash, you can enter yourself into the professional draft. 1 free transfer with no penalty after you graduate school to any other amateur level school, or you can immediately become a free agent in the professional level and sign with any team of your choice.

 

[orientalnc]

For the schools who don’t want to get into professionalism, go back to the old rules. You get a full scholarship, all books and board covered, no additional cash from playing. If you get to school and decide you just want the cash, you can enter yourself into the professional draft. 1 free transfer with no penalty after you graduate school to any other amateur level school, or you can immediately become a free agent in the professional level and sign with any team of your choice.

I think that train has left the station.

 

[kg01]

I think that train has left the station.

Clearly. But that won't stop folks from nostalgically tryna put the toothpaste back in the tube.

 

[85Escape]

I would say "I guess I'll just start watching High School Football." But it was already worse than NCAA with kids parents getting cush jobs to move into a region. So then I'd think "Ah..then Pop Warner Football it is!" But, um, it's not like there aren't shenanigans there too.

I guess it's Pickle Ball for me.

 

[takethepoints]

Why wouldn’t have be available in the spring or even next fall?

Clavicle injuries can be tricky to heal. Obviously, both the coaches and Taisun have a better view of how Pyron's is working out. I'm hoping he'll be cleared for the spring, but I'm betting he won't be. He ought to be ready to Rambo by fall, but …

 

[ThatGuy]

Clavicle injuries can be tricky to heal. Obviously, both the coaches and Taisun have a better view of how Pyron's is working out. I'm hoping he'll be cleared for the spring, but I'm betting he won't be. He ought to be ready to Rambo by fall, but …

(Just a friendly point of information - I'm guessing you must not realize you're replying to Zach Pyron's dad. I think he also has a pretty clear view of how his son's working through his injury.)

 

[inGTwetrust]

When do we see a salary cap get introduced? If we are gonna be a borderline pro football league (which I’m for the players getting paid btw) then shouldn’t there be some guide rails in place for both coaches and player salaries?

 

[takethepoints]

(Just a friendly point of information - I'm guessing you must not realize you're replying to Zach Pyron's dad. I think he also has a pretty clear view of how his son's working through his injury.)

Oops. I didn't realize that. Sorry, PVDad; you would know best, of course, and your take on the situation is very encouraging!

 

[JacketOff]

I think that train has left the station.

I don’t think the train has even entered the station yet. Fans of schools like GT, Purdue, Northwestern, Virginia, Oregon State, etc. are going to get fed up that they’re best players leave every year to go to a bigger school. Hendon Hooker left Virginia Tech, one of the largest ACC brands, and went to lead a Tennessee team who hasn’t really been relevant for 20 years. Other places like NC State who have a very solid fan base and atmosphere at their games are losing their stars. The best freshman baseball player in the country left NC State after just one year. It’s not a sustainable system, and it’s just now started.

It won’t be much longer until the star players from places like Clemson, Florida State, Oregon, Miami, Utah, Wisconsin, Iowa, etc. start transferring to the massive B1G and SEC schools just to get a bigger check. Those places are traditional powerhouses with great fanbases and have been extremely relevant recently. Eventually they’ll start losing players every year to the likes of UGA, Bama, LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, USC, Texas, Oklahoma, and UCLA, simply because those places will give them more money. When that starts happening the bubble has burst. I don’t think it will be much longer than 5 years from now, if that. If Clemson isn’t in the playoff next year it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Klubnik transfers to an SEC school to try to win a natty and get a fat check. The bigger SEC and B1G schools will start canabilizing each other too. USCjr, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Miss. State, etc will all start to lose players to the big dogs. A Mississippi State booster that gave their star RB $500k is going to be pissed when he leaves because Texas gave him $1M. A Florida State booster that gave their star QB $1M is going to be even more pissed when he leaves to go to Florida for $1.5M.

It’s not sustainable, and we’re just at the tip of the iceberg. I don’t know why you said “the train has left the station.” That’s insinuating I’m advocating for everybody to return to the original rules. That’s not even close to what I said, nor is it even close to the divide that’s imminent.

Clearly. But that won't stop folks from nostalgically tryna put the toothpaste back in the tube.

Same thing for you. What toothpaste am I trying to put back into the tube? Having a group of 30-40 schools break off and form their own professional league is not even close to putting toothpaste back in the tube. It’s buying a new electric toothbrush and squirting an entire tube of toothpaste on it. It’s going to be electric, and messy.

 

[RhoChi]

They can choose to not sign on signing day. How do you feel about that?

I feel like that’s different. Usually rescinding an offer in my mind is reserved for when a recruit has serious issues or something really bad happens (see the UF QB). Not just because the transfer portal exists. Committing and recommitting and signing other places on signing day doesn’t really mean much because to be fair until signed, commitments are similar to pwo offers. More of a promise than an actual commitment. I see an offer as more similar to a player signing. Signifying intent and acting on it. Rescinding an offer seems more like a punishment. But I don’t see why we’re punishing students who haven’t done bad things.

 

[takethepoints]

Now, will someone tell me if the staff is trying to talk Knight out of leaving? Since he is, you know, the most experienced LB on the roster, a physical phenomenon, and, apparently, what we need.

 

[ramblin_man]

Key said you have to continue to recruit your own roster and team. Must take care of your players (mentally, physically, and compensation through NIL) or GT will continue to struggle to keep the really talented players.

 

[forensicbuzz]

It’s just as easy to type “Key” as “TNG” and it eliminates confusion, unless confusion is what you want.

I think it has more to do with the snarkiness of TFG instead of just typing Collins, CGC, or something similar. Creating an alternative name for a former coach is childish.

Edit: B*** L**** is not an alternate name. It's just leaving letters off. Different.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Anyone care to comment on what all these week one starters have in common?

The ACC?

 

[Buzzbomb]

Now, will someone tell me if the staff is trying to talk Knight out of leaving? Since he is, you know, the most experienced LB on the roster, a physical phenomenon, and, apparently, what we need.

He’s gone from what I’ve heard. Knight graduates this month from the Institute and has a solid offer from Charlotte for football and his next major.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

The ACC?

ACC quarterbacks that never developed. Lots of promise and promises that they were promising.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

The Former Guy

As opposed to The New Guy