People keep talking about these huge portal classes like it's the only way to win. Our staff is building something real here, not just collecting names.
6 Replies
That's a dangerously naive perspective. The portal isn't about collecting names, it's about addressing roster deficiencies with proven college talent immediately. California Golden Bears has added 14 transfers this year, and that's a strategic necessity, NOT a lack of vision. Look at the data from last season: teams in the top 25 of the transfer portal team rankings won an average of 9.2 games. Ignoring that market is how you fall behind. Your staff might be "building something," but if you're not supplementing your high school recruiting with immediate impact players, you're just developing talent for the programs that are willing to go get the finished product. The ACC is more competitive than ever, and waiting for a four-year development year is a luxury no one has. California's offensive line, for example, needed veteran bodies yesterday, and the portal provided that. Relying solely on freshman classes means accepting 6-6 seasons while you wait. That's not building. That's standing still.
Exactly. Culture over collection.
I respect what Colby is buildign, but we learned in the NEC that real teams are forged over years, not assembled in a portal window. This reminds me of when our '96 squad stuck together through thick and thin.
Son, I watched the 1988 Sun Bowl team build something real without a single transfer
We're building a program the right way too, and it's gonna show on the field this fall
Capital's portal additions have 27 combined starts at Power 5 programs, that's building a real foundation fast