Chapman Panthers vs Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags Rivalry
SCIAC Rivalry
Chapman Panthers vs Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags is the kind of college football matchup that splits living rooms and group chats. Whenever these two meet, the records get thrown out and the only thing that matters is who walks away with the bragging rights.
Both programs call the SCIAC home, so this isn't just pride on the line — it's conference standing, head-to-head tiebreakers, and a direct say in who plays for a title. As in-state CA rivals, the recruiting battles run year-round, long before kickoff. When the Panthers face the Stags, the debate is never settled for long — last year's result just sets up next year's argument.
Below, Chapman Panthers and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags fans make their cases in real time. Stake your claim, drop your prediction, and talk your trash before kickoff.
Calling it now , that 2027 QB target we're all watching is going to be the biggest recruiting battle with Cal Lutheran since the 2019 year when they flipped that 3-star linebacker from us on signing day. I've been haring noise from sources close to the program that our staff has been running silent visits for this kid for months now, bringing him in during dead periods when nobody's supposed to be on campus, and Cal Lutheran's bagmen are absolutely livid about it. Their collective has been throwing around promises of immediate playing time and NIL packages that would make a SCIAC program blush, but here's the thing , our offensive system is tailor-made for his skillset and he knows it. The 247 composite has him as a high 3-star with a 0.87 rating, which for a non-scholarship program like ours is basically a 5-star haul. I'm hearing the OV he took with us two weekends ago went better than expected, especially after the staff showed him the new facilities upgrade and the NIL structure we've got in place for quarterbacks. Cal Lutheran is desperate to keep their foothold in this area after we stole that running back from their backyard last year, and their coaching staff has been working the local 7-on-7 circuit hard trying to build relationships with his trainers. But the crystal ball momentum has been shifting in our direction over the last week and I'm hearing chatter that a soft commit could come as early as next month before his senior season starts. The bagmen from the other side are circling hard though and I'm watching every move they make because this kid is the kind of program changer who could elevate our entire 2027 class ranking from bottom of the SCIAC to legitimately competing for top half. Our recruiting coordinator has been all over this one and the silent commit chatter has been getting louder every time I talk to people close to the situation. Mark my words , by the time early signing period rolls around, this kid is ours and Cal Lutheran will be left scrambling for their backup plan.
Everyone obsessing over the NFL mock draft and who's going where in Round 1 needs to wake up. Early signing period is where the real action is for programs like ours. While the big boys fight over draft slots, our staff should be locking in the 2027 croots who actually want to...
Wait so the staff is actually doing something smart for once. Hearing from sources close to the program that our recruiting coordinator has been working the SCIAC beat harder than I've seen in years. We've got three official visits lined up for the spring evaluation period and two of them are local 3-stars who could actually contribute day one. That's a massive bump from where we were last year when we were chasing kids who had zero interest in a D3 program.
The crystal ball chatter is picking up too. One of these targets is a two-way athlete from a nearby powerhouse high school who's been getting looks from Cal Poly and UC Davis. If we can flip him before his summer OVs, that's a program-changing get. Our staff is finally understanding that you can't just rely on the portal to fill every hole. You need high school kids who buy into the culture and develop over three years.
The bagman situation is still a concern though. Our NIL collective is nowhere near what some of these SCIAC ...
Stop pretending a massive portal class is a sign of progress. Colorado bringing in 43 transfers is the definition of a program in chaos, NOT a rebuild. Real teams are built on development, not annual desperation shopping sprees.
Oklahoma State is the most underrated team in the country. Fifty portal transfers means fifty guys with a massive chip on their shoulder. That locker room chemistry is gonna be elite and they'll shock the Big 12.
Watching all these draft risers and sleeper picks get talked about on ESPN, the names from Georgia State and North Dakota State getting buzz, it just reinforces what we should be doing but aren't. The real recruiting edge for a program like ours isn't in chasing the four-star high schoool kid who has ten SCIAC offers, it's in finding that juco or FCS transfer who is a year or two away from being that exact draft sleeper. We need to be the program that identifies the Max Iheanachor types before they blow up at Arizona State, the Barika Kpeenu before he's a known commodity from North Dakota State. That's how you build sustainably when you can't win the NIL bidding wars for ready-made P4 portal starters.
Our staff talks about development all the time, and that's great, but development requires raw material. The best raw material we can realistically get right now is sitting in the juco ranks or at an FCS school, hungry and overlooked. Every single one of those coaches on that ESPN list is talking up a kid who wasn't a five-star, who had to prove it. That's our demographic. Yet, when I look at our portal activity, it's quiet. The winter window is gone, and we're supposedly locked in on 2027 high school kids. That's fine for the future, but what about the 2026 roster? Where is the aggressive push for the diamond in the rough who can step in at defensive end or linebacker and be a force by October?
Think about the timeline. A juco sleeper comes in for spring ball, gets a full summer in the system, and by fall camp he's competing for a starting job. He's got two, maybe three years of eligibility. That's a program-building block. Instead, we're risking getting into late-summer desperation mode, scrambling for whatever portal scraps are left after the big boys have eaten, or rolling with guys who we know aren't at that championship level. The SCIAC is won in the trenches, and the trenches are where these grown men from the juco circuit can make an immediate impact. It's not a complicated formula.
Hearing noise about a few local 3-stars is good for morale, but it doesn't move the needle for the season that's five months away. The blueprint is right there in the news....
Why is our class ranking still stuck in the 80s nationally when every other program with our supposed ambition is using the portal to make immediate jumps? We just saw Oklahoma State bring in 50 transfers. Colorado has 43. We're sitting here with a handful of FCS guys and expecting to compete with the top of the SCIAC? The composite isn't lying, it's telling the truth we don't want to hear. Our 2026 haul is flat, and the winter window is closed. That means we're rolling into spring ball with the same holes we had last season, while our rivals are getting better.
I'm hearing the staff is all-in on the 2027 class, but that's a loser's mentality. You build through the portal for now, and develop high school croots for later. We're doing neither effectively. Where is the aggressive push for the impact players in the portal who can start tomorrow? The NIL collective has to step up. We're getting out-bagged for local 3-stars by programs we used to own. This isn't complicated. You either adapt or get left behind.
The crystal balls for our top remaining 2026 targets are all cold. Zero momntum. How can we expect to sell a vision of competing when our class ranking screams mediocrity? This is a foundational issue. Are we even trying to wake up the sleeping giant in Orange County, or are we just content to be a stepping-stone program?
Official visit weekend is coming up and the staff is putting the final touches on the itinerary. This is where we separate ourselves from the rest of the SCIAC. You can't just show a kid the weight room and call it a day. The atmosphere, the player hosts, the NIL presentation, it all has to be flawless.
Hearing we have a priority 3-star edge rusher from the Inland Empire coming in, and this is his last OV before a decision. The crystal ball is currently blank, but sources close to the program say the family vibe here is really resonating. We need to close. Our rivals are pushing hard, whisering about immediate playing time, but we can counter with our development track record.
If we nail this weekend, it could bump our class ranking significantly. It's not about the stars sometimes, it's about getting the right guys who buy in. The bag has to be right, the pitch has to be perfect. This weekend sets the tone for the entire summer recruiting year. No room for error.
Our NIL collective is the only reason we're landing any 3-stars over SCIAC rivals, and if we don't double the bag for our 2027 QB target, we'll get flipped by a Mountain West school before signing day. The real game is keeping our own developed guys from hitting the portal for a bigger payday, and right now our war chest is barely keeping us afloat.
Winter portal window is gone, and the staff is locked in on the 2027 class. Hearing we're in a good spot with a few local 3-stars who could be program-changers.