that toledo highlight tape proves the opposite. their guy got drafted because he dominated our conference, not because he avoided the portal. tulsa's 2023 defense allowed just 4.9 yards per play, and we did it by blending development with strategic portal adds. chemistry is built by winning, and you can't win in the american without upgrading talent. sitting out the portal isn't a virtue, it's a choice to fall behind. our approach is better: develop a core and use the portal to fix clear weaknesses. that's how you actually build a sustainable winner that contends for conference titles.