Donald Willis enters transfer portal

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This stinks but it's clear there were no hard feelings. Things got a little tight when Selig signed and there is a lot of competition with Williams and Finnessy as well. We often only play two LBers.

All of that said, I really wish Willis would have stuck it out. I think he could have been like a T. Smith last year and played a ton despite the added competition (internally and through the portal).

Oh well, on to the next one, good luck to him.
 

well, this definitely impacts depth at LB. and Depth at CB is also a potential issue with Bishop leaving.

PJ might have to work the Portal this Spring for some replacements unless the coaching staff is really confident that the younger players can fill those roles.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
well, this definitely impacts depth at LB. and Depth at CB is also a potential issue with Bishop leaving.

PJ might have to work the Portal this Spring for some replacements unless the coaching staff is really confident that the younger players can fill those roles.
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I really hope this is the case, maybe Willis realized he might not even be a starter.

When I look at the current Linebackers on the roster only Lindenberg has had much playing time up to this point. Lost a lot of experience in losing Oliver, MSM, and now Willis. I really think PJ should look to the portal.
 


Stuff said:
I really hope this is the case, maybe Willis realized he might not even be a starter.

When I look at the current Linebackers on the roster only Lindenberg has had much playing time up to this point. Lost a lot of experience in losing Oliver, MSM, and now Willis. I really think PJ should look to the portal.
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We're still 1 above the scholarship limit, so we'd need at least 2 more transfers before that could happen. There will be at least one more transfer before the season starts.

Both Bishop and Willis' departures are likely due to other guys beating them out.
 

..... Did spring ball happen already, and I didn't even realize it?


- You go through the end of the season and bowl game, and Xmas break, don't transfer
- You stay with the team through Jan and Feb winter strength & conditioning, don't transfer
- Semester is in full swing, getting ready to start gearing up for spring ball ....... THEN announce transferring at the end of Feb?


If you didn't register for winter semester, then what have you been doing the last two months?
If you did register, are you really considering leaving right in the middle of the semester??
If you're not leaving, the semester goes to May .... why not at least go through spring ball?


What am I missing?
 

Gophers_4life said:
..... Did spring ball happen already, and I didn't even realize it?


- You go through the end of the season and bowl game, and Xmas break, don't transfer
- You stay with the team through Jan and Feb winter strength & conditioning, don't transfer
- Semester is in full swing, getting ready to start gearing up for spring ball ....... THEN announce transferring at the end of Feb?


If you didn't register for winter semester, then what have you been doing the last two months?
If you did register, are you really considering leaving right in the middle of the semester??
If you're not leaving, the semester goes to May .... why not at least go through spring ball?


What am I missing?
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Putting your name in the portal might mean you are done with football at the school but you can still keep going to classes.

Who knows why he picked now vs. after spring ball but I am sure he had his reasons.
 

Does he already have his degree? He's been on campus since 2019 and has three years of Academic All Big Ten so you assume he does or is very, very close. Leaving in the middle of the semester isn't too tough if you are only taking a skeleton class load.
 



That sucks. Thought he played well in the bowl game and had a pretty good chance to start.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
This stinks but it's clear there were no hard feelings. Things got a little tight when Selig signed and there is a lot of competition with Williams and Finnessy as well.
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Isn’t Finnessy expected to miss the year with an injury, or at least a significant portion of the season? Either way, some youngsters are going to need to step into important roles.
 

Gophers_4life said:
If you didn't register for winter semester, then what have you been doing the last two months?
If you did register, are you really considering leaving right in the middle of the semester??
If you're not leaving, the semester goes to May .... why not at least go through spring ball?


What am I missing?
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He probably wants to get in the portal earlier rather than later. He can get scooped up by another team before more LBs enter the portal. And I think he can still finish spring semester. So wouldn't it be like Quinn Carrol who agreed to come here but had to finish some classes at ND first?
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
We're still 1 above the scholarship limit, so we'd need at least 2 more transfers before that could happen. There will be at least one more transfer before the season starts.

Both Bishop and Willis' departures are likely due to other guys beating them out.
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Yeah, it is getting tight. Agree that it's probably competition that is causing these last few to look for other opportunities.
 



Stuff said:
I really hope this is the case, maybe Willis realized he might not even be a starter.

When I look at the current Linebackers on the roster only Lindenberg has had much playing time up to this point. Lost a lot of experience in losing Oliver, MSM, and now Willis. I really think PJ should look to the portal.
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Selig has a lot of experience. Josh Aune has some. Williams has little. Then Baranowski, and Gerlach have none. It’s definitely worrisome if Finnesy is out as well. Might need some contributions from walkons LeCaptain or Mau.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Putting your name in the portal might mean you are done with football at the school but you can still keep going to classes.

Who knows why he picked now vs. after spring ball but I am sure he had his reasons.
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That's correct. You can finish out the year.

But, putting your name in the portal doesn't mean that you can no longer play football for your current team. A number of players have entered the portal at the end of the fall regular season but played for their current teams in bowls. Perhaps most players would choose not to do that and many coaches would not allow that, but that has been done.
 

btowngopher said:
Selig has a lot of experience. Josh Aune has some. Williams has little. Then Baranowski, and Gerlach have none. It’s definitely worrisome if Finnesy is out as well. Might need some contributions from walkons LeCaptain or Mau.
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Finnessy had a bad knee injury and will likely be out all year. But he was also being groomed at rush end Ala Thomas Rush
 

btowngopher said:
Selig has a lot of experience. Josh Aune has some. Williams has little. Then Baranowski, and Gerlach have none. It’s definitely worrisome if Finnesy is out as well. Might need some contributions from walkons LeCaptain or Mau.
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I think Aune graduated and moved on.
 

cjbfbp said:
That's correct. You can finish out the year.

But, putting your name in the portal doesn't mean that you can no longer play football for your current team. A number of players have entered the portal at the end of the fall regular season but played for their current teams in bowls. Perhaps most players would choose not to do that and many coaches would not allow that, but that has been done.
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Fair point, going into the portal doesn't automatically remove you from the team but at least here it typically does. That said, it is not unheard of for guys go come back after going into the portal as well. Dunlap is the only instance I can think of here but it has happened other places.
 

btowngopher said:
Selig has a lot of experience. Josh Aune has some. Williams has little. Then Baranowski, and Gerlach have none. It’s definitely worrisome if Finnesy is out as well. Might need some contributions from walkons LeCaptain or Mau.
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We are definitely light on experience after Lindenberg and Selig but given that we often only play 2 LBs we should be in solid shape depth wise. Every team has questionmarks behind the starters where they are likely to have guys with minimal game experience waiting in the wings.

Henderson, Green, or Bryson would seem like strong candidates to slide into that 3rd LB/Nickle position depending on how the rotation at Safety works out.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Fair point, going into the portal doesn't automatically remove you from the team but at least here it typically does. That said, it is not unheard of for guys go come back after going into the portal as well. Dunlap is the only instance I can think of here but it has happened other places.
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And Phillip Howard
 

Gophers_4life said:
..... Did spring ball happen already, and I didn't even realize it?


- You go through the end of the season and bowl game, and Xmas break, don't transfer
- You stay with the team through Jan and Feb winter strength & conditioning, don't transfer
- Semester is in full swing, getting ready to start gearing up for spring ball ....... THEN announce transferring at the end of Feb?


If you didn't register for winter semester, then what have you been doing the last two months?
If you did register, are you really considering leaving right in the middle of the semester??
If you're not leaving, the semester goes to May .... why not at least go through spring ball?


What am I missing?
Click to expand...
The fact that the players are much more clued into potential depth chart and opportunities than we are.
 

Gophers_4life said:
..... Did spring ball happen already, and I didn't even realize it?


- You go through the end of the season and bowl game, and Xmas break, don't transfer
- You stay with the team through Jan and Feb winter strength & conditioning, don't transfer
- Semester is in full swing, getting ready to start gearing up for spring ball ....... THEN announce transferring at the end of Feb?


If you didn't register for winter semester, then what have you been doing the last two months?
If you did register, are you really considering leaving right in the middle of the semester??
If you're not leaving, the semester goes to May .... why not at least go through spring ball?


What am I missing?
Click to expand...
These last two are graduate transfers and the portal doesn't open until May, so they are getting ahead of the game and letting people know they are looking to transfer for their last season. Bishop picked up his local offer from Louisville. Willis might end up back in OHIO.. Maybe Kent State.
 

Tough to see Willis go. Has very good speed/range, and lots of experience in the system. A team player. He also appears to have been very good academically--used his college scholarship well. Maybe he wants a better chance to play more in his last year, and it is clear he isn't going to start--if Selig is as billed. Maybe Collins (transfer from NC) is shaping up as a LB rather than Edge? Maybe one or two of the young LBs is making a surge?
Whatever, in the numbers game, we still need to lose another or two just to get down to 85 scholarship. There will be a few more disappointing transfers, I am sure.
 

Gophergrandpa said:
Tough to see Willis go. Has very good speed/range, and lots of experience in the system. A team player. He also appears to have been very good academically--used his college scholarship well. Maybe he wants a better chance to play more in his last year, and it is clear he isn't going to start--if Selig is as billed. Maybe Collins (transfer from NC) is shaping up as a LB rather than Edge? Maybe one or two of the young LBs is making a surge?
Whatever, in the numbers game, we still need to lose another or two just to get down to 85 scholarship. There will be a few more disappointing transfers, I am sure.
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Yep....the numbers always work themselves out so will be interesting to see what additional movement happens between now and the end of spring ball. Always sucks to see guys go but it is unavoidable.
 

someone tweeted out a list of all the outgoing transfers. If I remember correctly, out of 10 players leaving via transfer, 8 were defensive players.

maybe it means something, maybe it means nothing.

I realize that each player may have his own individual reasons for wanting to play someplace else.

but it did get me wondering.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
someone tweeted out a list of all the outgoing transfers. If I remember correctly, out of 10 players leaving via transfer, 8 were defensive players.

maybe it means something, maybe it means nothing.

I realize that each player may have his own individual reasons for wanting to play someplace else.

but it did get me wondering.
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In this current climate where roster churn is massive all over the country it feels like a waste of time to go looking for any deeper meaning behind why guys are transferring.

As long as the lost players don't cause a massive dropoff in talent for the current team than it is what it is.

Overall we have still benefitted more from the portal than it has hurt us.
 


MNVCGUY said:
In this current climate where roster churn is massive all over the country it feels like a waste of time to go looking for any deeper meaning behind why guys are transferring.
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I think a lot of people don't remember what it's like to be 21. These guys don't get to study abroad, but they do get to see a different campus and play for different coaches. A lot of them are going to transfer just to transfer. Others are going to transfer because they broke up with their girlfriend or met a girl at a different school. Some are going to put their name in the portal just to see if they can get more NIL money. Much of the movement will have nothing at all to do with football.

Willis is a good player. He would have played for the Gophers next year and I bet he would have started. He wanted to try something new for one of a thousand reasons and that's all there is to it.

Wake me up when one of them posts their reasoning or gets a giant check. That's the only time we will know what really happened.
 

hello-world said:
I think a lot of people don't remember what it's like to be 21. These guys don't get to study abroad, but they do get to see a different campus and play for different coaches. A lot of them are going to transfer just to transfer. Others are going to transfer because they broke up with their girlfriend or met a girl at a different school. Some are going to put their name in the portal just to see if they can get more NIL money. Much of the movement will have nothing at all to do with football.
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Great post. I sometimes think people talk about athletes like they're some kind of humanoids who go into bio tanks between games and practices so they don't really exist for anything other than their sports. There are all sorts of reasons why someone would choose to transfer. The good thing is that while coaches would want to know the reasons, the reasons aren't that important for fans to know.
 

cjbfbp said:
Great post. I sometimes think people talk about athletes like they're some kind of humanoids who go into bio tanks between games and practices so they don't really exist for anything other than their sports. There are all sorts of reasons why someone would choose to transfer. The good thing is that while coaches would want to know the reasons, the reasons aren't that important for fans to know.
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All true, but when a guy has been here four years, played a lot, and figures to be in the middle of things next season, it seems like a football decision.

Looking on the positive side, I hope it's because he thinks he will need to share time with too many younger guys who are coming on strong. Plus two transfers in. One, whose name and school escape me, was a rush end but there has been talk they could use him at LB too. Collins?
 

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