You know, I remember when Iowa State and the old Big 8 had real identity. You’re right to be proud of building through high school kids. That’s how we did it here in Moorhead under coaches like Jim Christopherson. You’d get a kid from Fargo or Fergus Falls, he’d stay four years, grow with the program, and you’d build a real brotherhood. That 2001 Cobbers team that went to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl was built that way, not bought. But let me tell you, locking down your state is the only way to survive now. We used to have fierce battles with St. John’s for Minnesota kids, and that rivalry meant somehting. Now, with this portal nonsense, it’s like free agency. A kid gets a better NIL offer and he’s gone before you learn his name. I admire your approach. It reminds me of the way Fry built things at Iowa, with patience and development. If you can keep those Iowa kids home and develop them, you’ll have something that lasts longer than any flash-in-the-pan portal class. Just don’t let those kids get tempted by the bright lights and empty promises later on. That’s what rots a program from the inside.
