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

GCdaJuiceMan

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,937
I wonder if GT will take a look at this young man.



Vandy Team captain. Starting DE. 5.5 sacks, 7.5 TFL, 1 UNT, 30 tackles last season. Grad transfer.

"Majored in medicine, health and society and pursuing a graduate degree in learning, diversity and urban studies" Can we accommodate that? I know our curriculum handcuffs us sometimes.
 

MonroeJacket

GT Athlete
Messages
761
I just see Tatum and Felix. Who else do you see?
Abdul. Zeeks made me look twice too. Just vague “chip on the shoulder, new beginnings, you’ll see” type tweets. They’re all also oddly similar. Timing too. Maybe I’m overthinking. I feel like a lot of these kids might fire off a tweet to stir the NIL pot. Kinda like a coach’s agent inquiring about a new opening, solely to get a raise at their current school.
 

slugboy

Moderator
Staff member
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10,805
If you can’t start for us, who can you start for? Unless you drop down.
Not derogatory, just a serious question the athlete needs to answer.
A lot of our transfers out didn’t end up anywhere. Others ended up at P5 or G5 schools and did well. Some players were players in the rotation but not starters.

It’s not so simple as “did they start?”. There is a thread about how great Efford is, but he wasn’t a starter at the beginning of this season. Most of our starters weren’t starters at some point. Our next great LB might be a guy who hasn’t gotten playing time yet—assuming he doesn’t transfer
 

RamblinRed

Helluva Engineer
Featured Member
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5,736
A lot of our transfers out didn’t end up anywhere. Others ended up at P5 or G5 schools and did well. Some players were players in the rotation but not starters.

It’s not so simple as “did they start?”. There is a thread about how great Efford is, but he wasn’t a starter at the beginning of this season. Most of our starters weren’t starters at some point. Our next great LB might be a guy who hasn’t gotten playing time yet—assuming he doesn’t transfer
That is not unusual. Something like 40% of transfers don't end up at another school and the majority transfer down instead of up.
 

684Bee

Helluva Engineer
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1,600
"Majored in medicine, health and society and pursuing a graduate degree in learning, diversity and urban studies" Can we accommodate that? I know our curriculum handcuffs us sometimes.
I’m sorry, but what in the hell is a top-tier university doing offering a graduate degree in “learning, diversity, and urban studies”?
 

RhoChi

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
581
I’m sorry, but what in the hell is a top-tier university doing offering a graduate degree in “learning, diversity, and urban studies”?

I mean. Some guys aren’t academically inclined, they wanna play sports. Not every person is gonna be like our king snapper who is a 1st year PhD student.

It’s universities making a way for their players to qualify to play even if they aren’t the most studious person.

Hell, tech has their LMC and HTS degrees that people don’t see the value in that many of our players (along with a BA major) major in.
 

RhoChi

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
581
That is not unusual. Something like 40% of transfers don't end up at another school and the majority transfer down instead of up.

Isn’t that sad? Like really sad? These players had the potential and were recruited to play and start one day at a D1 school. But they have someone in their ear telling them it ain’t worth it to tough it out.

The two cases I think of the most are Zach Calzada, the QB from TAMU who beat Alabama and is now at Holy Trinity College, and Aaron McLaughlin who was poised to be the next great NC State (Look at them now!) QB and is now at Jax State.

Not only are they going to a “worse” school for sports. But the quality of the degree they get is hindered too. A very few selection of people make it to a pro football league, but these young men won’t hedge their bets to ensure success even outside football.
 

Eli

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,507
Abdul. Zeeks made me look twice too. Just vague “chip on the shoulder, new beginnings, you’ll see” type tweets. They’re all also oddly similar. Timing too. Maybe I’m overthinking. I feel like a lot of these kids might fire off a tweet to stir the NIL pot. Kinda like a coach’s agent inquiring about a new opening, solely to get a raise at their current school.
I saw Abduls
Odd he would feel that way after we gave him a shot
 

mts315

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
920
I saw Abduls
Odd he would feel that way after we gave him a shot
Yeah, did he expect that he was going to get the same amount of run moving up from Duquesne.

Also, if we get Blackburn and Blackstrain healthy for next season, not sure where Abdul fits.
 

CEB

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,139
Abdul. Zeeks made me look twice too. Just vague “chip on the shoulder, new beginnings, you’ll see” type tweets. They’re all also oddly similar. Timing too. Maybe I’m overthinking. I feel like a lot of these kids might fire off a tweet to stir the NIL pot. Kinda like a coach’s agent inquiring about a new opening, solely to get a raise at their current school.
I’m thinking the same. It’s the player equivalent to a coach being named a candidate… let’s talk about a raise.
The unfortunate part of it is that for most people, when the thought of leaving pops in, its hard to push it back out. For high profile teenagers, its probably especially difficult when you have to quiet all the people in your ear too.
 

GaTech4ever

Helluva Engineer
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1,473
Wake Forest's Dave Clawson pretty much went at Notre Dame saying they paid Sam Hartman a LOT of money (reportedly north of $1million) to transfer there.
Yeah, did you watch Clawson’s presser? He embarrassed both himself and Wake with his comments. “We love him more than Notre Dame because we dated him longer than 1 year.” Cringe-worthy doesn’t even begin to describe it.
 

GaTech4ever

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,473
Did going to Ole Miss help Zamari Walton?
Yes. According to PFF, Akelo Stone was Ole Miss’s top DL and the 3rd ranked player on their defense. Walton was the 4th ranked player on their defense, and Jared Ivey was the 2nd graded player on their DL and 7th overall on defense. I’d say that their decision helped all of them, especially considering they’re playing for a top 15 team.
 
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