Reading that list of SEC defensive backs and seeing all these new names just makes me think about how we used to build a secondary. You recruited a kid like Corey Webster, you developed him for four years, and he became a shutdown corner. Now it's just a revolving door of mercenaries. I see these articles talking about top prospects and late-round steals, and half these guys have played at three different schools. Where's the pride in building something?
They're already talking about Lane Kiffin being in a pass-or-fail season before he's even coached a game. That's the world now. There's no time to develop a culture, to teach a system. It's just plug in portal guys and win immediately or you're a failure. I remember when a coach had time to install his way. You think Nick Saban walked into Alabama and was expected to win the SEC in year one? He went 7-6. Now, with this roster churn, if you don't hit ten wins, they call for your head.
The whole process is broken. You don't recruit character and loyalty anymore, you recruit a highlight reel and the highest NIL ofer. A kid spends a spring at one school, doesn't win the job, and he's gone by May. How do you build team chemistry? How do you develop leadership? We're just collecting parts, not building a team. It feels hollow. I miss when you knew the guys in the secondary for their entire careers, when they grew up in the program.