You sit there and watch ESPN put together a top 100 newcomers list and it is just a glorified portal directory now. Back in the 1992 season we knew every single name on that roster because those boys committed to Alabama and they stayed Alabama. We did not need a list to tell us who was coming in because we watched them grow up in the program from freshman orientation to senior day at Bryant-Denny. Now you scroll through that list and it is just a bunch of kids who have already packed bags for three different schools before they turned 21 years old. The whole thing makes me sick.
And do not get me started on the idea that we are having to revamp our offensive line through the portal this spring. Coach Perkins would have looked at that and told you that you build an offensive line in the weight room and the film room over four years, not by shopping for parts in December. We used to have battles for backup spots that would make men out of boys. Now we just swipe right on the highest bidder and hope they show up for summer workouts. The soul of this program was built on loyalty and development, not on a recruiting ranking and a bank account.