Thoughts on the Portal

[Randy Carson]

A 3-star high school senior attracts attention from a bunch of schools and receives offers from several including Tech and Alabama. Which one does he accept? Yeah, Bama. Who wouldn't?

The thing is, Bama is loaded with 4- and 5-star players, and after his first year, the kid has barely seen the field. A few mop-up plays in the fourth quarter of a blow-out game or two, perhaps. Remember Rudy's buddy who bombed at Notre Dame? Who wants to be that guy in this era? And who has to be?

So, he enters the transfer portal and shows up at Tech where he should have signed from the get-go. Eventually earns a spot in the starting line-up and has a great senior season and a greater diploma to boot.

I don't fault [insert football factory here] for signing him nor do I blame the kid for taking his shot at the big time.

But until Tech has improved its on-field performance sufficiently enough to win those recruiting battles straight up (and honestly, we're never going to win them all or even most), we're going to see a lot of transfers who dreamed big but didn't quite make it at the semi-pro level.

So, we're actually recruiting at two levels: some high schoolers will sign with us this year; some will transfer to us next year. Let's make the most of the situation.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Yeah, makes sense. I think about how much a school like Boise State could have used the portal 20 years ago. They established a winning tradition with recruiting classes ranked in the 50s and 60s and could compete on the field with schools like Oklahoma and Alabama. They would have been a prime portal destination for players that felt dissed.

So step one is for Tech to improve our competitiveness on the field and have some winning records.

 

[sgreer]

Or we can recruit a 3-4 star recruit, play them early out of necessity (and help them develop) then watch them move on to an SEC team

 

[Vespidae]

A 3-star high school senior attracts attention from a bunch of schools and receives offers from several including Tech and Alabama. Which one does he accept? Yeah, Bama. Who wouldn't?

The thing is, Bama is loaded with 4- and 5-star players, and after his first year, the kid has barely seen the field. A few mop-up plays in the fourth quarter of a blow-out game or two, perhaps. Remember Rudy's buddy who bombed at Notre Dame? Who wants to be that guy in this era? And who has to be?

So, he enters the transfer portal and shows up at Tech where he should have signed from the get-go. Eventually earns a spot in the starting line-up and has a great senior season and a greater diploma to boot.

I don't fault [insert football factory here] for signing him nor do I blame the kid for taking his shot at the big time.

But until Tech has improved its on-field performance sufficiently enough to win those recruiting battles straight up (and honestly, we're never going to win them all or even most), we're going to see a lot of transfers who dreamed big but didn't quite make it at the semi-pro level.

So, we're actually recruiting at two levels: some high schoolers will sign with us this year; some will transfer to us next year. Let's make the most of the situation.

This isn't the full story. Bill Belichick was asked about college recruiting and specifically, recruiting players who did not see much playing time at Alabama. He said he liked them for two reasons. One, they have played and practiced against the best, most athletic players in the game and Two, they aren't hurt.

He did not see "not starting" as a major problem for good athletes. As Lee Goza once quipped, "If you aren't going to play, you might as well not play for the best."

 

[4shotB]

This isn't the full story. Bill Belichick was asked about college recruiting and specifically, recruiting players who did not see much playing time at Alabama. He said he liked them for two reasons. One, they have played and practiced against the best, most athletic players in the game and Two, they aren't hurt.

He did not see "not starting" as a major problem for good athletes. As Lee Goza once quipped, "If you aren't going to play, you might as well not play for the best."

This mindset has changed recruiting a lot. Used to be "playing time" was a recruiting pitch. Now kids with dreams of the NFL don't mind sitting on the bench and waiting their turn at Bama or Ohio State while getting coached by the best coaches and practicing against NFL potential athletes.. The notable excpetion is for QB's....they do want as many reps as possible.

 

[Randy Carson]

Or we can recruit a 3-4 star recruit, play them early out of necessity (and help them develop) then watch them move on to an SEC team

Yep. Which is totally okay if the kid has the talent to play in the bigs. He SHOULD move up.

We aren't likely to be in that category again on a consistent basis.

We'll have an occasional breakthrough season here and there, sure, but I don't expect us to be in the CFP discussion year after year.

 

[Chas_Jacket]

Or we can recruit a 3-4 star recruit, play them early out of necessity (and help them develop) then watch them move on to an SEC team

If we start winning some games and go to some bowl games, this will be less likely. But then everything depends on that big “If”.

 

[forensicbuzz]

I think the portal and NIL is going to bring in sweeping changes to how college football works. I think in the next 5 years college football will look nothing like it has over the past 100 years. There's no putting the genie back in the bottle.

 

[stech81]

Between the portal and NIL I'm about at the point I don't care about college football. I know most of the younger fans like the idea of the portal and the NIL. But I would like to see the portal go back like it was players sit out 1 year make the player think about it. As far as the NIL put a limit on it just using a number here say $5,000.

 

[stech81]

I think the portal and NIL is going to bring in sweeping changes to how college football works. I think in the next 5 years college football will look nothing like it has over the past 100 years. There's no putting the genie back in the bottle.

And change will not be a good thing. If we can't put the genie back in the bottle then you kill the genie before he kills college football.

 

[forensicbuzz]

And change will not be a good thing. If we can't put the genie back in the bottle then you kill the genie before he kills college football.

College football, as we've known it our entire lives, is the walking dead. It's just a matter of when not if. To some, that's good. To most, probably not so good. But, it will evolve into whatever beast it becomes.

I envision a development league where teams are sponsored by universities and carry the school name. I think the days of the student-athlete at the elite level are numbered. Then there will be a collegiate football level, where we have kids that want to be in school too. I could even envision a team in each camp at certain schools.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Remember the history of college football when it was first becoming popular. Some teams would bring in ringers or pay athletes who were not students. Got so out of hand that RULES were put in place to keep it an amateur sport. Money, and the chance to make a lot of it, seems to erode moral boundaries sooner or later.

I have no solution but to watch how this plays out.

 

[4shotB]

I think the portal and NIL is going to bring in sweeping changes to how college football works. I think in the next 5 years college football will look nothing like it has over the past 100 years. There's no putting the genie back in the bottle.

going forward I would like to see college FB realigned according to budgets. Let Tier 1 be the schools with the deep pockets,( UA, Texas, OSU,etc.) that spend $120MM and up. Then tier 2 could be schools in the $90 - 119MM. Tier 3 $75MM - 89MM. (just tossing these numbers out for discussion). Then you would have apples to apples competition. Is this plan perfect? No and there will always be schools trying to gain an unfair advantage. But slotting schools by student population generates excitement at the HS level because a high school in South Ga. with 400 students can be state champions and not have to compete with the metro Atlanta schools with 3,000+ kids. I don't tink the sport (college FB) is maintainable with only 10 or so schools willing and able to compete for NC's.

 

[Randy Carson]

Between the portal and NIL I'm about at the point I don't care about college football. I know most of the younger fans like the idea of the portal and the NIL. But I would like to see the portal go back like it was players sit out 1 year make the player think about it. As far as the NIL put a limit on it just using a number here say $5,000.

The one-and-dones have been a disaster for college basketball, IMO. Remember watching a slow, sleepy-eyed kid from Oklahoma and a tall, skinny kid from the Bronx develop over four years into a top contender for the National Championship. If not for an uncharacteristically bad shooting night from Price, we could have cut down the nets that year.

My point is that it was deeply satisfying spending four years watching players like Price, Salley and Johnny Dawkins at Duke develop. How many Duke fans are thinking back fondly about Zion even one year later? I wouldn't want to coach that kind of player; I'd want to get old and stay old bringing kids up through my system.

 

[Randy Carson]

going forward I would like to see college FB realigned according to budgets. Let Tier 1 be the schools with the deep pockets,( UA, Texas, OSU,etc.) that spend $120MM and up. Then tier 2 could be schools in the $90 - 119MM. Tier 3 $75MM - 89MM. (just tossing these numbers out for discussion). Then you would have apples to apples competition. Is this plan perfect? No and there will always be schools trying to gain an unfair advantage. But slotting schools by student population generates excitement at the HS level because a high school in South Ga. with 400 students can be state champions and not have to compete with the metro Atlanta schools with 3,000+ kids. I don't tink the sport (college FB) is maintainable with only 10 or so schools willing and able to compete for NC's.

Look at how the English football clubs move up and down the ladder. This is the model I would favor.

 

[4shotB]

Look at how the English football clubs move up and down the ladder. This is the model I would favor.

The selling point to the NCAA is having 5 or 6 NC games with associated playoff games (depending on number of tiers). If Tech were in tier 4 and we were playing Washington or Texas Tech for the NC game I am watching. If Clemson is playing OSU or Bama for the umpteenth time as in the current setup, I don't watch that.

On our state, the HS championship games are played over a 2 day period in the same location (I think Ga. does this as well). Some fans will attend only the games in which their teams are playing but many others stay for the entire weekend. Football is exciting when the matchups are even even though the Class 6 state chamions would probably mop the floor with the Class 1 champions (most of the time).

 

[CEB]

Look at how the English football clubs move up and down the ladder. This is the model I would favor.

This makes some sense on its surface. However, with the short time you have players in college, your “lightning in a bottle” year would win you the second or third tier if that’s where you’re stuck that year. Next year you’re up a tier and getting your butt kicked after graduation and transfer portal attrition.
I think I’d rather just be honest about the level of competition and where programs fall as opposed to an annual reshuffling.

 

[4shotB]

The one-and-dones have been a disaster for college basketball, IMO. Remember watching a slow, sleepy-eyed kid from Oklahoma and a tall, skinny kid from the Bronx develop over four years into a top contender for the National Championship. If not for an uncharacteristically bad shooting night from Price, we could have cut down the nets that year.

My point is that it was deeply satisfying spending four years watching players like Price, Salley and Johnny Dawkins at Duke develop. How many Duke fans are thinking back fondly about Zion even one year later? I wouldn't want to coach that kind of player; I'd want to get old and stay old bringing kids up through my system.

During that era I knew the names of the starting 5 usually of all the teams in the ACC. Now I could not name you a single player in the conference who is not on Tech's roster. it is similar to the coaches - outside of Pastner I know only the names of the coaches at Duke and Syracuse. And that is because they were there back then too.

 

[ChicagobasedJacket]

going forward I would like to see college FB realigned according to budgets. Let Tier 1 be the schools with the deep pockets,( UA, Texas, OSU,etc.) that spend $120MM and up. Then tier 2 could be schools in the $90 - 119MM. Tier 3 $75MM - 89MM. (just tossing these numbers out for discussion). Then you would have apples to apples competition. Is this plan perfect? No and there will always be schools trying to gain an unfair advantage. But slotting schools by student population generates excitement at the HS level because a high school in South Ga. with 400 students can be state champions and not have to compete with the metro Atlanta schools with 3,000+ kids. I don't tink the sport (college FB) is maintainable with only 10 or so schools willing and able to compete for NC's.

Literally 6 months ago, I would’ve said no way to this proposal but it definitely has merit. I think some of our issues is that these changes are hitting us particularly hard following 3 straight 3 win seasons.

 

[CEB]

During that era I knew the names of the starting 5 usually of all the teams in the ACC. Now I could not name you a single player in the conference who is not on Tech's roster. it is similar to the coaches - outside of Pastner I know only the names of the coaches at Duke and Syracuse. And that is because they were there back then too.

Absolutely. I tell “old man” tales to my son about a time when even NBA players had some allegiance / longevity on a team. I remember knowing and rooting for the same group of guys for years... Bird, DJ, McHale, Ainge and Parrish were going to be going at Magic, Kareem, Scott Worthy... and they’d all be in the same uniforms they wore for the last several seasons. I have a hard time having an allegiance to any team when the players on that team have no allegiance to it. It soured me on pro sports and it leached into college basketball and now football with the portal. Pretty soon it’ll all be unwatchable if it continues unchecked...