Just saw that ESPN offseason ranking and they probably docked us for not having some flashy portal haul. But here is what those national witers do not understand about this program. They look at the roster turnover and they see a weakness. I see the walk on culture that built this program from the ground up back in the 90s under Coach Fran and then Coach Patterson.
You remember when we had guys like that kid from Aledo who walked on in 1998 and ended up starting three years on the offensive line? That is how you build a program. You find the kids who grew up dreaming of wearing purple, not the ones shopping their services to the highest NIL bidder. The portal killed that. Now every kid who does not start in week one is gone by spring ball.
I guarantee you that when fall camp rolls around, we will have a couple of walk ons in the two deep who just love this program. That is what the ESPN guys miss when they grade us on portal hauls. You cannot buy the kind of loyalty that comes from a kid who earned his scholarship through sweat, not a bidding war.