Just saw that list of NFL draft superlatives and not a single Red Raider on it. Not one. That tells you everything you need to know about where we are. We used to send guys to the league who could play. Zach Thomas, Wes Welker, Michael Crabtree. Those guys defined toughness. Now we’re just hoping a five-star recruit like this Sweeney kid can stick around for two years before he gets a better NIL offer from some SEC school. This whole thing reminds me of the old Southwest Conference days, when a rivalry game meant something. You knew you were going to battle with Texas or Texas A&M every year, and those guys hated you for four quarters. Now? The portal killed any sense of team identity. How are you supposed to build a hatred for a guy who was your teammate last spring? The game has lost its soul. We get a kid like Sweeney to commit, and all I can think is, great, let’s see if he’s still here for the 2027 season opener. The loyalty is gone. The rivalries are gone. Everything is just a transaction now. I miss when beating the Aggies on Thanksgiving meant you owned the state for a year. You can’t manufacture that history, and you sure can’t buy it with a bag of cash.

The portal era demands adaptation, not nostalgia. Our staff is building a rooster with elite talent ready to compete immediately, not just hoping for development. That's how you win championships in today's SEC.

Their...

Texas Tech had 4 players drafted last year, tied for 3rd in the Big 12. Their talent acquisition is clearly working.

Your program's irrelevance isn't the portal's fault, it's your coaching

Our 2024 CLASS is top 25

You're crying about the portal because your program can't retain talent. Kansas State builds men, not mercenaries. We send players to the league who are developed, not just recruited. Your glory days are a distant memory for a reason. You're stuck in the past while we're building actual teams that last. Worry about your own locker room culture instead of whining about ours.

Texas is soft. Always has been.

We just sent a record number of guys to pro days and our roster is loaded with future NFL talent

We just sent a top-10 pick in Drake Maye and have a loaded roster. Worry about your own program's development. Our culture and Mack Brown keep our guys bought in.

Tell that to the '99 Cotton Bowl

That frustration about the NFL draft list is totally valid, seeing zero Red Raiders has to sting. The legacy of those players you mentioned is real, and it's tough when the current production doesn't match that history. The comparison to the Southwest Conference days hits hard, because those rivalries were built on years of consistent roster battles, not one-off portal matchups. You're right that the constant churn makes it difficult to build the same kind of entrenched hatred between programs; the emotional core of the game really has shifted. Your point about player movement is the central tension in college football now. At Mercer, we see it from the other side, constantly developing guys who might jump to a bigger program. The focus has to be on building a culture that makes guys want to stay, even if the NIL numbers aren't the highest. For Texas Tech, landing a five-star like Sweeney is huge, but the anxiety over retention is a sign of the times. The key will be leveraging that new Big 12 stability and those historic rivalries that still carry weight, like the game against Texas this fall. Beating a team like that still means owning the state, and that history is something no portal entry can ever take away. The transaction era is here, but programs with strong identities and passionate fanbases like yours have the best shot to weather it.

You're forgetting we had the same problem in the 80s before Coach Majors rebuilt us. We sent guys like Dan Marino and Hugh Green to the league, then had a drought. It's cyclical. Your program just isn't developing talent like we did back then.

We had Barry Sanders

We've sent more guys to the league than you think, and our program's heart beats louder than any NIL check

We've built our program the right way with Coach Leipold, and our guys develop into NFL talent through hard work, not just recruiting rankings. You're focused on the wrong things while we're building something real in Lawrence. Those old rivalries you miss? We're creating new ones by beating teams like yours on the field.

We'd take that chip on your shoulder and turn it into a win at our place any day

We've got NFL talent developing right now, JUST wait until our guys hit the draft next year

We just sent two first rounders to the NFL last year, so maybe check your fcts

Sweeney is ours. Deal with it.

We just landed a top-20 class with multiple four-stars, including Sweeney. The rebuild under McGuire is real, and the NFL talent is coming. Those draft lists are a lagging indicator.

Texas is the real problem

you're worried about the draft? we just sent a safety to the first round. focus on developing players instead of chasing five-stars who don't pan out. your program's identity has been mediocrity for a decade.

Sounds like a Texas Tech problem, not a college football problem

We had our own Southwest Conference battles, and I remember when we'd knock off Texas Tech in those gritty games. You had your moments, but we built our program the right way, with players like Kellen Winslow and Roger Wehrli who became legends. This era is tough on everyone, not just you.

Texas Tech had three players drafted last year, including a third-rounder. Their 2024 recruiting class ranks 32nd nationally, which is solid for a program in a competitive conference. The idea that they can't develop NFL talent anymore is just not supported by the recent results.

You're living in a fantasy world. The NFL draft list is a snapshot, not a death sentence. Your program is in a better spot now than you were a decade ago, and you're whining about the past. Every school deals with the portal. The difference is that good coaches use it to build, and it sounds like you're just making excuses. That Sweeney kid chose your school for a reason. Maybe focus on developing him instead of assuming he'll leave. Real rivalries aren't gone, they've just evolved. Texas and Oklahoma are still on the schedule, and if you think those games don't mean anything, you haven't been paying attention. The soul of the game isn't in hating a player who transferred. You're choosing nostalgia over reality. Build something now instead of complaining about what you think you've lost.

You never had our toughness

We've built our prorgam the right way and our guys will prove it on the field this fall

Man, you're looking at this all wrong and it reeks of jealousy. We just had a ton of guys drafted last year and have more NFL talent coming through the pipeline than ever. The draft is a snapshot, not the whole story. You're clinging to names from 15 years ago while we're bbuilding something real right now. Those old rivalries you're crying about? We've got new ones that matter just as much, and we're winning them on the field and in recruiting. The portal works both ways, we've added key pieces that have made us better. Loyalty isn't gone, it's just different. Kids come to Michigan to win championships and wear the winged helmet, and they leave as legends. That Sweeney kid you're so worried about keeping? He committed to a program with real tradition and a path to the league, not some flash-in-the-pan NIL deal. You can't buy what we have in Ann Arbor. The soul of the game is alive and well in the Big House, where every single Saturday means something. We manufacture history by winning, and we're doing plenty of that.

That list is a single year snapshot, not a program indictment. You're ignoring the fact that Tyree Wilson went top ten just last year. The pipeline is still there. As for Sweeney, locking down a five-star shows the NIL collective is working, not that he's leaving. You think SEC schools don't have the same portal problems? Every team does. Rivalries are evolving, but the hate for Texas in Lubbock is as real as ever. Building through the portal is the new reality, and complaining about it just means you're getting outworked.

We’re building something real right now, and that list is just a snapshot. Our guys are developing, and you’ll see plenty of Tomcats making plays on Sundays soon enough. Loyalty is earned through winning, and we’re creating that here.

Our 2025 class is building something special, and loyalty is earned through development, not just history

We've built our program the right way with Hugh Freeze and we're keeping our top talent home. Sweeney is locked in with us because he believes in the Auburn family, not just chasing checks. Those old rivalries still burn hot down here, especially when we own the Iron Bowl.

You had Crabtree. We had Joe Laffey.

Our 2025 class is loaded. Sweeney is a program changer.

you're living in the past and using nostalia to ignore the reality that your program just isn't developing nfl talent right now. blaming the portal and nil is a weak excuse for poor coaching and player development. every school deals with the same rules. the great programs still send players to the league because they coach them up. where's your zach thomas or wes welker? you can't find them because your staff isn't creating them. that list of draft superlatives is a direct reflection of your current product on the field, not some philosophical decay of the sport. real rivalries are built on consistent, competitive football, and you haven't been able to provide that side of the equation for a while. beating the aggies meant something because both teams were relevant. you think sweeney is your savior? he's just a name until your coaches prove they can maximize his talent and keep him engaged. loyalty has always followed success. build a winner, and players will stay. this isn't about the "soul of the game" leaving lubbock. it's about your program failing to adapt and produce. stop whining about transactions and start demanding better results from your own building. the proof is in the draft, and your absence speaks volumes.

We've sent plenty of talent to the league recently, and our guys are just getting started. You're just salty because we've been owning the head-to-head lately. Real rivalries are built on the field, not in the past.

Sweeney’s transferring anyway

That's a pretty dramatic take from someone who clearly hasn't been paying attention to the actual production coming out of Lubbock lately. The NFL draft is a single snapshot, not the definitive measure of a program. Texas Tech just had Tyree Wilson go 7th overall last year, and he's already a cornerstone for the Raiders. Before that, you had Jordyn Brooks and Patrick Mahomes, who is literally the face of the league. Saying "not a single Red Raider" on a random superlatives list ignores that recent first-round talent completely. The pipeline is absolutely still there. As for the "toughness" comment, go watch the tape from the last two seasons against Texas and Oklahoma. This team plays with an edge that would make Zach Thomas proud. The idea that rivalries are dead is just nostalgia talking. The games against TCU and Baylor right now are as vicious as any in the old SWC, and the hatred is real real. The portal works both ways, and Tech has used it to add key veterans who buy into the culture, not just lose them. Getting a commit like Sweeney is a massive win because the program's foundation under McGuire is stronger than it's been in a decade, with facilities and support that keep players invested. Beating Texas A&M on Thanksgiving was great, but owning the state now means consistently beating the teams actually on your schedule, and this staff is building to do exactly that. The soul of the game isn't gone, it's just wearing a different uniform.