You watch these spring games now and it is all about which five-star freshman looks good in a scrimmage jersey, which transfer QB won the job in three weeks. Back when I started watching Washburn in the early 80s, recruiting meant Coach Schuler driving six hours to some tiny Kansas town to sit in a kid's living room and talk to his parents about what kind of man he was going to become. You built relationships over years, not NIL handshake deals over a weekend. This Notre Dame Blue-Gold game stuff looks fun and all, but these kids are on their third school before they even play a down of meaningful football. The whole system is built backwards now. You used to earn the right to wear the unifrom. Now you just pick the best offer off a spreadsheet and show up for spring ball. We lost something real when we stopped caring about loyalty.