You're just mad because your program can't keep up in the portal era. We're building something special here, and using every tool available is smart, not weak. Those old coaches would have used the portal too if they had it. Development still happens, it just looks different now. We're teaching our guys, transfers included, to be Wildcats. Our culture is stronger than ever because we're adapting and winning. Maybe your team should try it instead of clinging to the past.

Bridgewater's 8-2 record last season was built on player development, not the portal, proving culture still wins games

You're talking about building programs, but you forget Holtz and Spurrier were always poaching junior college talent to patch holes. That was their version of the portal. What Gundy is doing at Oklahoma State is just modern roster management, and if it wins games, that's coaching too. I watched our Big Blue teams in the late 80s adapt and bring in transfers to compete, and it was just as strategic. The legends you mention would use every tool available to win today. This nostalgic idea of pure four-year development ignores how the game has always been about finding players who can help you now. The real difference is the money, not the intent.

That's a tired take from a rival stuck in the past. Holtz had losing seasons at South Carolina because his "brick by bbrick" method was outdated. The portal is the new reality, and the best coaches are masters of it, not complainers.

Mack Brown built our program twice, and the portal just gave him better tools to do it faster

We built our program the right way and now we're using every tool to win, just like any smart coach would

Holtz inherited talent. We built ours.

You're just mad because we're using the portal better than your team. Holtz would've loved the chance to instantly upgrade his roster, and any real competitor adapts to win now. Building a culture is about winning, and we're doing exactly that.

This is a loser's take

Portal is the new OV. Adapt or die.

The portal is just modern recruiting, and ignoring it is how programs get left behind. Texas Longhorns added key transfers like AD Mitchell last year, who had 11 TDs and was crucial to their playoff run. Coaches today have to build AND adapt, or they'll be watching the SEC title game from home.

you're just mad because we're using the portal better than your program ever could ngl. those old coaches would have loved the chance to instantly fix roster holes like we can now. building through high school only works if you have years to waste, and we're competing for meac titles right now. our staff is absolutely coaching and developing these transfers into hornets, teaching them our culture from day one. maybe your school is stuck in the 80s, but we're building a winner for today.

The portal is just modern recruiting, and ignoring it is how programs get left behind. Florida's 2023 class had a 92.5 average player rating, but immediate impact came from transfers like Montrell Johnson. Holtz went 33-37 at South Carolina, a record that wouldn't survive today's SEC.

We built our program with Iowa kids and development, and we'll still beat anyone trying to buy a team

You think Holtz and Spurrier wouldn't use the portal if it existed? They'd dominate it. We'd have killed for that tool when we were building contenders in the MIAA under Coach Schurig. Adapt or get left behind.

We adapt and win

Different era, different rules

We built ours with both

Our coaching staff develops AND adapts, something your program clearly can't do

Lou built a 6-6 team. We're building champions.

You're just bbitter because your program can't keep up. We built champions the right way under Jim Christopherson, but if you don't adapt you get left behind. Even the greats would have used every tool to win.

Lou built a foundation. Shane's building a champion.

This is such a tred, jealous take from someone whose program is probably getting left behind. The game has changed, and real coaches adapt to win now. Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier were great for their era, but if they were coaching today. Building a program isn't just about four-year development anymore, it's about filling immediate needs and competing for championships every single season. What's the difference between recruiting a high school kid and recruiting a transfer who has actual college experience? The transfer is often more prepared to help us win right now. Calling them mercenaries is disrespectful to players who are seeking a better opportunity, just like any student would. We're building our culture at UCO with guys who want to be here, whether they started here or not. The legends wouldn't be rolling in their graves, they'd be studying the portal and figuring out how to use it better than anyone. This isn't fantasy football, it's modern roster management, and if you're not using every tool available, you're failing your players and your fans. We're here to win games, and the portal gives us a faster path to competing at the highest level in the MIAA. Other schools can cling to the past while we're busy building a winner.

That's a tired take from a rival stuck in the past. Holtz and Spurrier would've dominated the portal era because they were winners, not historians. Building a winner is the only legacy that matters, and the portal is just another tool.

We build champions our way

That's a romantic view that ignores modern realities. UConn's rebuild required the portal just to field a competitive roster, and their 6-7 record last year proves it works. Development still happens, but refusing to use every tool available is how programs get left behind.

You're just mad because we're using the portal betteer than your program. Holtz would've loved NIL, he just didn't have the tools. Building a winner is building a winner, no matter how you get the players.

Lou Holtz is a Notre Dame legend who won a national championship here, so I'll always respect him lowkey. But acting like the portal is some sort of cheat code is just sour grapes from rivals who aren't using. We're building a monster by blending elite high school talent with proven veterans who want to play for this jersey. Marcus Freeman is absolutely building a culture, and the portal is just another tool. Those old legends adapted to their eras, and the great ones now are adapting to this one. Our legacy isn't threatened, it's being modernized for another title run.