Just saw that ESPN piece on the 21 five-stars in the 2027 class and where they are all going and it got me thinking about something we lost along the way. Remember when half the walk-ons we had would end up starting by their junior year because they just wanted it more? That is gone now. Every kid with a pulse wants a bag before they ever take a snap in fall camp.
Coach Stallings used to tell us that the best players on the 1992 championship team were guys who started as walk-ons or late bloomers who spent three years learning the system before they ever touched the field. Now these kids transfer if they are not starting by week three. The whole development model is dead and that is what made us who we were.
You watch these portal-heavy rosters at Oklahoma State with 50 new faces and tell me how many of those kids are going to bleed for the program. The walk-on culture taught you something about loyalty and earning your spot. Now it is all transactional. I miss seeing those guys i...