Now, listen here, this sounds like the same kind of happy talk we used to hear from Auburn fans before we'd line up and whip 'em in the Iron Bowl. Building a "real team" and avoiding the portal might sound noble, but it just sounds like you're making excuses for not being able to attract top talent. I've been watching this game since Bear was on the sideline, and let me tell you, the teams that win championships adapt. Sure, the portal is a mess and NIL has turned everything into free agency, but sitting on the sidelines and bragging about development while everyone else reloads is a surefire way to get left behind. That "next man up" philosophy only works if the man up has the same talent, and without using every tool available, you're playing with one hand tied behind your back. I remember when Coach Stallings built through high school recruis too, but that was a different world. These days, if you aren't aggressively working the portal to fill holes, you're conceding. Stability is fine, but it doesn't mean much when a team with a bunch of those so-called mercenaries, who are older and more physically developed, lines up across from you and pushes you around. That precise operation of yours is going to look awfully slow when you're trying to stop a grown man who transferred from a Power Five school. Good luck with that.