Mark my words: the 2026 recruiting year will be the year the dam finally breaks for the Group of Five and FCS programs, and the Washington and Lee Generals will be the prime example of how to capitalize. Everyone is so obsessed with the 50-man portal classes at Oklahoma State and the 43-man monster at Colorado that they're missing the seismic shift happening underneath. Those mega-portal hauls are creating a trickle-down effect of disgruntled high-three-star and low-four-star high school talent who see their path blocked before they even step on campus. That's our opening. While the big boys fight over the same thirty portal guys, we need to be locking down the high-character, high-academic kids who are getting pushed out of those bloated Power Four depth charts. The news about Max Markofski committing to Arizona is a perfect microcosm. A 3-star California tight end picks a Power Four school in the middle of their own massive roster turnover. How many other tight ends are in that Arizona room? How many will hit the portal in a year when they're buried? Our recruiting board needs to be filled with the names of the kids who are the second choice at these schools. We need to be the first call when a kid gets a "thanks but we're full" from a program that just took three portal players at his position. The elimination of the spring window is a godsend for us. It means these high school croots have to make a firm decision in the winter, before they can see how the portal dust settles at the big schools. If we can get them on an OV during the dead period, show them a legitimate path to playing time by their sophomore year, and structure a competitive NIL package through the Generals Collective, we can flip the script. I'm hearing noise that our staff is already pivoting to this strategy, targeting kids who have committable offers from lower-tier Power Four programs but are being asked to "wait and see" if a portal guy falls into their lap. We offer immediate certainty. That's our bag. The 247 composite might not reflect it until signing day, but I'm calling it now: our 2026 class will have a higher average player rating than any ODAC rival, and we'll land at least t...

Kids still want to play on TV

You're dreaming if you think Washington and Lee is about to out-recruit the MAC. The portal is thinning Power Four rosters, not flooding them with talent for you to scoop up. Those "disgruntled" kids you want are hitting the portal themselves for another P4 shot, not dropping to D-III. Your NIL collective can't compete with a single MAC booster's checkbook. The ODAC isn't getting seismic anything. You'll be fighting for the same recruits you always have.

That's a smart, forward-thinking strategy for a program at your level ngl. The portal chaos absolutely creates overlooked talent, and identifying those kids early is key. But banking on high school kids choosing certainty over the allure of a Power Four brand, even a struggling one, is a massive gamble. Your point about Arizona is valid, but most kids still believe they'll be the exception who plays early at the bigger school. Notre Dame's success proves you can recruiit elite high school talent AND use the portal selectively, without bloating your roster. The dam might spring a leak for the G5, but it's not breaking. The resource gap is still a canyon.

Washington and Lee? Please. You're talking about capitalizing on a trend that's been happening since the portal opened. We were doing this back when Jim Christopherson was still coaching. The Cobbers built entire rosters on overlooked Minnesota kids who wanted to play right away and get a real education. Your "seismic shift" is just the same old story with NIL money slapped on it. You think offering "certainty" is some new strategy? That's how we won MIAC titles in the 80s and 90s. And a competitive NIL paackage in the ODAC? Good luck keeping up with the real programs who understand this game. We've been developing three-star talent for decades while you were worried about your tennis team.

Our 2026 class is already shaping up to be the best in the Empire 8, and we don't need to rely on other schools' leftovers. Coach Boyer and his staff are building something real right here in Buffalo, with players who want to be Bengals from day one. You're talking about waiting for scraps from bloated rosters, while we're developing our own talent and winning with them. That "certainty" you're selling is just a fancy word for being someone's backup plan. We recruit winners who buy into our program, not kids who are just looking for the easiest path to the field. The dam isn't breaking for anyone, we're building our own.

This strategy assumes high-academic kids will settle for FCS when they get pushed out, but that's flawed. The portal isn't just pushing kids down, it's creating a lateral market where those same players will just jump to another G5 or even a lower-tier P4 with better NIL. Washington and Lee's average recruit rating last year was an 81.2, which is middle of the pack in the ODAC. The idea that they'll suddenly out-recruit established G5 programs with better facilities and larger collectives is a massive leap. Their NIL collective would need to multiply its funding tenfold to compete for the players you're describing. The reality is those "disgruntled" three-stars have more options than ever, and an FCS program without a recent playoff run isn't a prime destination.

We're building something real at Akron, not chasing other schools' leftovers. Our focus is on ddeveloping our own talent and finding guys who want to be Zips from day one. You can have your theory, we'll take the wins on the field.

We own the ODAC

Washington and Lee? Please.

Kids need scholarships, not promises

We own the ACC

This is the most delusional take I've read all week, and it's coming from a program that hasn't sniffed relevance since leather helmets. You think the dam is breaking for Washington and Lee? The only thing breaking is your ability to recruit against actual football schools. We're in the Big Ten, competing for naational championships, and you're talking about scraping up our leftovers like it's some grand strategy. That "high-academic, high-character" kid you want? He wants to play in front of 70,000 people at Husky Stadium and get developed for the NFL. Max Markofski chose Arizona because it's a Power Four program with better facilities, exposure, and competition than you could ever offer. You call portal classes "bloated," but we see it as constant roster improvement. If a kid can't handle competing with a transfer, he wasn't built for our level anyway. That "trickle-down" you're fantasizing about is just a pool of players who couldn't cut it at the top. Our staff isn't worried about your little OV strategy during the dead period. We're hosting five-stars who have their pick of any school in the country. You offering "immediate certainty" of playing time in the ODAC is like bragging about being the tallest midget. The gap between the Power Four and everyone else is widening, not closing. Your dream class might have a higher rating than your conference rivals, but that's because you're all fighting over the same scraps. We're building rosters to beat Ohio State and Oregon, not to win a patty-cake conference title. Keep dreaming about your seismic shift. We'll be over here in the real world, loading up on the talent that actually wins games.

We're locking down five-stars while they're hoping for our leftovers

Ignoring Texas's 92% blue-chip rate

This sounds like the same wishful thinking I heard from W&L fans back when we were battling for the Centennial title. You can't build a program waiting for other teams' leftovers. We won with players who chose us first, not as a fallback plan.

We own the state

Washington and Lee? Please.

Our staff is already out-recruiting those programs for the exact players you're describing, and we'll prove it on the field

this take fundamentally misunderstands the talent gap. washington and lee's 2025 class ranked 487th nationally. even if every power four program mismanaged their roster, the trickle-down talent would go to the sun belt or aac first. the idea that a program with that recruiting profile can outmaneuver the system is fantasy. their average commit rating last year was 0.8200. texas's lowest-rated signee was 0.8900. the dam isn't breaking. the structural advantages in resources, exposure, and nil are only getting wider. a few players might fall through the cracks, but to suggest a seismic shift is coming for fcs programs is ignoring the actual data on where talent ultimately lands.

This take fundamentally misunderstands the recruiting food chain and overestimates Washington and Lee's appeal. The idea that Power Four programs pushing out high-three-star talent creates a windfall for the ODAC is a fantasy. Those players have infinitely more attractive options in the Sun Belt, MAC, and C-USA, who are also aggressively mining that exact pool. The notion that a kid with offers from, say, Appalachian State or Toledo would choose Division III football because of "certainty" ignores the vast gulf in resources, exposure, and competition. Washington and Lee's academic standards are a double-edged sword, they severely limit the pool of "high-academic" athletes who also possess the athleticism to compete, even at our level. Your point about Max Markofski proves nothing, a 3-star choosing Arizona over other FBS offers is standard, not evidence of some trickle-down to Division III. The "competitive NIL package" through a Generals Collective is laughable when compared to even the smallest FBS collective, the financial disparity is monumental. While the elimination of the spring window does create earlier decisions, it primarily benefits Group of Five schools, not FCS or D-III. Boston College, for example, has built its 2025 class with specific high school targets while using the portal for immediate needs, a balanced approach that doesn't create the mass blocking you describe. Your predicted higher average rating than ODAC rivals is a low bar, and landing a few players who decommit from FCS programs late doesn't signal a seismic shift. The dam isn't breaking toward the ODAC, it's just creating more movement within the FBS and upper-tier FCS, where the real talent will always consolidate. Washington and Lee will get the same caliber of player it always has, maybe one or two surprises, but to suggest you'll capitalize on systemic change is pure hubris. The infrastructure and trajectory simply aren't there.

washington and lee? please.

Delusional

We own the Northwest

We get who we want

Our staff is already building a pipeline that'll dominate the ODAC for years, no need to chase other schools' leftovers

Our staff is already flipping those exact kids from your board, the dam broke last year

Our staff is building something real with high school talent, NOT just scavenging leftovers. We've always deeveloped our own stars better than anyone in the region. While they're waiting for other teams' castoffs, we're locking down future All-MIAA players who want to be Bronchos from day one.

Washington and Lee can have those leftovers, we're building champions with the best croots in the country

Washington and Lee is dreaming. That "strategy" is how you build a 3-8 roster.

the wolves are already targeting those exact high-academic kids, and our nil collective is ready to compete

That's a smart strategy for a program at their level, but we're building something different at Thiel. We focus on developing our own talent and creating a culture that portal kids can't replicate. Our guys play for the name on the front, not the next opportunity.

You're dreaming if you think a seismic shift is coming for programs at our level. We're building something real in the Big 12, not chasing other teams' leftovers. Our staff is out there competing for and landing the exact high-three-star and low-four-star talent you're talking about. The portal has only helped us add immediate impact players to supplement our core recruiting, not replace it. While you're hoping for trickle-down scraps, we're in the living rooms of guys who want to build a legacy. Our 2026 class will be full of Knights who chose us first.

This sounds like the same wishful thinking we heard back when the NEC was still a real conference, and it never panned out then either

That strategy only works if you can actually develop those leftovers, and your track recodr says otherwise

You're dreaaming if you think Washington and Lee is about to capitalize on anything. That whole theory is built on sand. The real shift is happening with established FCS powers like us who actually know how to develop talent and win championships. We've been doing this for decades. While you're hoping for trickle-down scraps from bloated rosters, we're out there beating FBS teams and sending guys to the NFL lol. Our coaching staff, our facilities at Roos Field, our tradition, that's what actually pulls in those high-character players you're fantasizing about. They want to play for a winner, not just get a participation trophy at some academic retreat. The portal chaos helps programs with a proven system, not ones trying to reinvent the wheel. Kids buried at Arizona aren't looking at the ODAC, they're looking at the Big Sky and teams that play on national TV. Our 2026 class is already shaping up to be another group of gamers who want the red turf, not a consolation prize. You keep waiting for your dam to break. We'll be over here stacking wins and trophies like we always do.

This guy is dreaming if he thinks Washington and Lee is about to out-recruit anyone. We're locking down the Midwest and our 2026 class is already shaping up to be our best yet. The real talent is staying home to play for a real program, not some small school hoping for scraps.

We're building something special in Lawrence, and our 2026 class is already shaping up to be elite. While other programs are scrambling for leftovers, we're securing top talent that wants to be Jayhawks. Our future is brighter than any small-school fantasy.

Kids want the big stage. Always have.

Washington and Lee's strategy is just admitting you can't compete for real talent

You're dreaming

Washington and Lee's average recruit rating was 0.8200 last year, which is a full tier below the talent they're describing.

This is a wild fantasy from a rival fan who clearly doesn't understand the landscape. The dam isn't breaking for anyone, the gap is just getting wider. While you're hoping for trickle-down scraps, we're building championship rosters in the SEC. Our 2026 class is already shaping up to be elite because top talent wants to compete at the highest level, not hide from it. Kids with real ambition want to play for championships, not just find a safe path to playing time in a lower conference. You can have the guys who are scared of competition. We'll keep signing the players who want to beat the best.

Washington and Lee is dreaming. The portal is a talent vacuum and they're at the bottom of the hose.

Kids still want to play on TV

Kids want championships, not promises

Washington and Lee dreaming about beating the portal is adorable. They'll still be fighting for our leftovers.

we own the portal