I watched that 1994 Rose Bowl team and I will tell you what made them special. Every single one of those kids came in as freshmen and left as seniors. They grew up together in that weight room under Coach Alvarez. They learned what it meant to be a Badger by bleeding for four years in the same program. Now you see Oklahoma State bringing in 50 transfers and Colorado with 43 and people call it roster construction. I call it a disaster waiting to happen.
You cannot build a culture when half your locker room has been at three different schools by the time they turn 21. The loyalty is gone. The buy-in is gone. These kids show up for a spring practice and if they are not starting by week three they are back in the poral. We lost three guys this winter who I watched develop for two seasons and they left because some other school offered a few thousand more dollars. That is not college football. That is free agency with a student ID.
I saw we doubled up on edge rushers this weekend and I am glad we are recruiting. But I cannot help wondering how many of these kids will actually be here come August. The old way was better. You earned your spot and you stayed. Now everybody is looking for the next exit ramp.