Transfer Portal: Who do we need to target this offseason?

billga99

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
819
Jared Verse
Troy Aikman (wasn't about rotation, preferred a different style of offense if memory serves)
Dorsey Levens
Ken Whisenhunt
Keion White
Laiatu Latu
Chop Robinson
Tyler Guyton
Ricky Pearsall
Keon Coleman
Ja'Lynn Polk
Christian Gonazalez

Some of these are obviously from many years ago but most are 1st and 2nd round picks in the last two drafts alone who have all transferred and didn't seem to cause them any problems. The notion that you can bloom wherever you're planted is both outdated and in some cases wrong. It's not 100% true in horticulture, either. Some guys take different paths and/or need different mentors/coaches/environments/opportunities to achieve their potential. We didn't see that very often in the distant past because it wasn't a viable option with the restrictive nature of the rules (restrictive is just a factual description, not meant as a value judgment). Now that it is the wild west it's become commonplace. I'm not saying that's a good thing and I absolutely would agree that it's a bad decision for some, possibly even most.

With all that having been said I also do agree that there will be lots of cases where a 4* or 5* who couldn’t get on the field at Football Factory X just isn’t as good as his high school play would indicate.
Tashard Choice is another good example of why talented players transfer. He fell behind a true freshman at Oklahoma, Adrian Peterson. Was from Georgia originally (Lovejoy HS), transferred to Georgia Tech and ran for over 2,800 yards in his Junior and Senior year. Got drafted in 4th round by Dallas and played 6 years in the NFL.
 

danny daniel

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,612
We bring back a majority of the starters but where do y’all think we should focus in the portal?

DEs. We lose 3 of our top 4, by far our biggest need. Got to have a edge rusher that can make a difference. We lose two sr DLs so a portal replacement is needed. We lose our top two blocking TEs but hopefully Seither comes back and the TEs in the 2025 freshman class look good. But another big blocking TE from the portal would help. A really strong LB would be nice and another Burrell at CB would be nice as well..
 

jojatk

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,516
When can we send an offer? I don't know the rules now.
The rules say that our staff can't contact him until he's officially in the portal, which he might be. We all know there are a lot of ways to let a kid know you're interested and if GT is interested I'm sure that will be communicated to the kid somehow. While the portal doesn't open until December 9 he could enter immediately because his coach was just fired and that gives him a 30 day window to enter. There's another exception to the December 9 date and that's grad transfers. They can enter anytime they like.
 

UgaBlows

Helluva Engineer
Messages
6,831
The rules say that our staff can't contact him until he's officially in the portal, which he might be. We all know there are a lot of ways to let a kid know you're interested and if GT is interested I'm sure that will be communicated to the kid somehow. While the portal doesn't open until December 9 he could enter immediately because his coach was just fired and that gives him a 30 day window to enter. There's another exception to the December 9 date and that's grad transfers. They can enter anytime they like.
Anyone know his major?
 

gtee91

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
271
The rules say that our staff can't contact him until he's officially in the portal, which he might be. We all know there are a lot of ways to let a kid know you're interested and if GT is interested I'm sure that will be communicated to the kid somehow. While the portal doesn't open until December 9 he could enter immediately because his coach was just fired and that gives him a 30 day window to enter. There's another exception to the December 9 date and that's grad transfers. They can enter anytime they like.
Sounds like there are more exceptions than rules
 

TechPhi97

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
771
Location
Davidson, NC
Can't really fault Leary. He's clearly talented and isn't cracking the depth chart. If he has any NFL aspirations, likely needs to show out somewhere else.

IMO, this is the transfer portal being used correctly. He left his mark with Miami last year.
My guess is he won’t get any NIL money here and won’t get drafted, so try to find a place where he can make some money and play one more year.
 

TechPhi97

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
771
Location
Davidson, NC
Tashard Choice is another good example of why talented players transfer. He fell behind a true freshman at Oklahoma, Adrian Peterson. Was from Georgia originally (Lovejoy HS), transferred to Georgia Tech and ran for over 2,800 yards in his Junior and Senior year. Got drafted in 4th round by Dallas and played 6 years in the NFL.
Most everyone has held a job where you were a bad fit - manager changes, required skill changes, company priorities change, etc. A top performer can (and will) change companies when their current situation isn’t working. I’m not sure why anyone would think performance (real or perceived) can’t change with a change of job.
 
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