I remember when a commitment meant something, back when Clint Stoerner gave his word to Houston Nutt and stuck with it. The portal has turned these kids into mercenaries before they even step on campus. Your program might chase the shiny new toy every year, but we build men who understand what the Razorback on the helmet means. If you think that's a weaness, let's settle it on the field any Saturday.

Portal taught them to chase better fits

Our program builds loyalty that the portal can't break. Kids who decommit were never truly part of the Utah family anyway.

That's a lazy take from a rival fan who doesn't understand modern recruiting. A 2027 deommit means nothing, it's three cycles away. Kids that young are exploring options, and it's smart for our staff to keep evaluating. The portal actually forces programs to recruit harder every single day, which we're built for. If a kid isn't fully locked in now, it's better to know early and focus on genuine targets. Our class is shaping up just fine without that kind of early volatility.

Our program builds men of character who honor their commitments, unlike some schools that chase portal mercenaries

Kid, we built dynasties on commitments that meant something, unlike your program that chases every transfer portal flavor of the month

Our staff upgrades tlaent

This is rich coimng from a rival fan. We had players keep their word for decades, like Sammy Baugh honoring his commit through thick and thin. Your program's instability is showing.

That's a really interesting perspective, but I see it differently. The quarterback decommitment is more about the modern recruiting timeline than a lesson from the portal. Kids are committing earlier and earlier, sometimes before their junior year of high school. Their evaluation of a program, and a program's evaluation of them, can change drastically in two or three years. The portal has certainly increased mobility, but it mirrors a broader societal shift. Look at Youngstown State's roster construction last year. They brought in key transfers who were immediate contributors, and that's just the reality of building a competitive FCS team now. The Swedes run a great program, but the dynamics at the FCS level, especially in the MVFC, require adapting to this new environment. Holding a 15 or 16-year-old to a verbal commit made years in advance isn't practical. The data shows that early decommitments have been trending up for a decade, well before the portal's current iteration. It's less about "quitting" and more about both parties constantly reassessing fit as more information becomes available. The portal didn't create this. It just applied the same principle to the college level.

Florida's 2025 class is ranked top 5 nationally, so the commitment process is clearly working just fine for the Gators

Total nonsense

This take ignores that BYU's recruiting class is actually up 12 spots nationally since last year. The portal works both ways, and we've added more talent than we've lost.

Portal rules help everyone

This take ignores that Tulsa's 2027 class is already stronger than last year's. Their quarterback decommit had offers from three P5 programs, which shows the recruiting competition is heating up. Early decommitments happen everywhere, it's not a "portal lesson."

That's a weak take from a rival who's just scared of our recruiting momentum. Kids decommit all the time, it just means we're out there finding an even better fit for our system. Our coaching staff knows how to build a roster, portal or not.

LeMoyne-Owen's 2025 class is building loyalty, and their 3-star QB commit has a higher passer rating than any of your recent signees

This has nothing to do with the portal and everything to do with our program's high standards. We recruit elite talent, and sometimes a kid realizes he can't compete at this level. It's better to find out now. Our QB room is stacked, and Lanning is building something special. Other schools should worry about keeping their own commits instead of analyzing our process. We'll just go get someone better, like we always do.

this is a wild take from a rival fan who clearly doesn't get how recruiting works. a 2027 decommit means nothing, that's a middle schooler changing his mind. the real issue is their program's inability to develop and retain talent, which is why they're always getting flipped.

Kids these days have no idea what commit meant when Drew Bledsoe gave his word

commitments aren't binding either way fr fr

That's a rough take coming from a Bethany fan, our situations aren't really comparable. We build our program on guys who want to be Wildcats for the long haul, not just passing through. The portal is a reality for everyone, but we focus on finding players who buy into what Coach Ostrowsky is building here in Marquette. A decommit two years out says more about that kid's process than it does about our culture. We'll find another quarterback who truly wants to wear the green and gold.

That's a massive oversimplification of how recruiting works now. The 2027 kid is what, a sophomore in high school? Decommitments at that age have happened for decades, long before the portal was a major factor. Kids change their minds as they develop and get more offers, that's not a new phenomenon. Blaming the portal for a 15-year-old reevaluating his future is just looking for a scapegoat. The real issue is that programs, including yours, are also using the portal to instantly replace high school signees if they don't pan out. It's a two-way street. Virginia Tech has built a competitive roster by blending high school development with strategic portal additions, like bringing in quarterback Kyron Drones. The system now requires managing both pipelines, and programs that adapt are the ones winning. Acting like a teenage decommit is some moral failing ignores the reality that college football is a business for the schools, too. Everyone is navigating the same rules.

That's a lazy take from someone who clearly doesn't understand modern recruiting. a 2027 decommit means absolutely nothing, it's three cycles away. kids that young are getting their first taste of attention, and programs are offering just to get in early. it's a soft commit at best, everybody in the know expects those to flip. the portal has nothing to do with it, this has been happening for a decade. if anything, the portal adds stability becausse it gives programs a backup plan if a high school kid bolts. you build relationships through multiple ovs, you secure the OV, and you keep grinding until signing day. calling it "quitting" shows you're stuck in the past. this is the game now, and smart programs like ours are adapting by casting a wider net and using the portal to fill immediate holes while developing high school talent. our staff knows a verbal from a sophomore is just a starting point, not a finish line. the real penalty for flipping comes later when other coaches see you as unreliable, but that's on the kid and his handlers. we'll be just fine, we always find diamonds in the rough that play with a chip on their shoulder.

Kids decommit all the time, it's the nature of the game and we'll just find a better fit

portal lyalty is a myth

The portal taught coaches there's no penalty for cutting players, so why should kids be loyal lmao?

We had players decommit in the 80s too, kid. This isn't new, you're just looking for excuses.

Back in my day, a man's word was his bond, but I'd rather have a kid decommit now than pull a Ryan Perrilloux on us after signing day