Son, I've been watching this program since Jackie Sherrill was prowling the sidelines, and you don't build a lasting foundation in a day. You sound like one of those kids who thinks the transfer portal is the answer to everything. Let me tell you something, we built the '76 national championship team with four-year players who bled blue and gold, not mercenaries shopping for the highest NIL bag. Oklahoma State and Colorado bringing in 50 transfers? That's a recipe for a locker room with no soul, no identity. Remember when we had consistency? When a Larry Fitzgerald or a Hugh Green developed right here? That's what wins in the long run.
This obsession with class rankings is a new sickness. The composite didn't exist when we were pounding on Penn State and West Virginia in those classic rivalry games they stole from us. You find the right kids who want to be Panthers, you coach them up, and you build men. That FCS kid with a chip on his shoulder? He might just be the next Darrelle Revis. You think Revis would have been better off hitting the portal after his sophomore year? Nonsense.
And don't you talk to me about "stepping-stone programs." We are the University of Pittsburgh. We are the team that played in the Fiesta Bowl and the Sugar Bowl when your school was an afterthought. The staff focusing on the 2027 class isn't a loser's mentality, it's called having a plan that extends past the next tweet. You want a revolving door of players who leave the second a better offer comes? That's not football, that's free agency, and it's ruined the sport I loved. We'll compete just fine. We always have.