You're talking about building a program, but I remember when real programs were built through recruiting and development, not just refusing to adapt. The poratl is the game now, whether we like it or not. Your "core and culture" sounds nice, but it didn't help you much in the old SWAC days against teams that reloaded with talent. Coach Porter would have used every tool available to win. Sitting out the portal just means you're getting left behind with other people's leftovers. Chemistry matters, but so does talent, and right now the teams grabbing headlines are grabbing players, too.