Fleck: There's a new era of college football, and we've got to continue to find creative ways to gain depth, keep depth, maintain depth, retain depth

[BleedGopher]

Per Randy:

Regaining that consistency won't happen overnight, and Fleck knows that bolstering his roster is a priority, especially with name, image and likeness opportunities and an active transfer portal.

"There's a new era of college football, and we've got to continue to find creative ways to gain depth, keep depth, maintain depth, retain depth," he said, "and then bring depth in from the portal side and the recruiting side."

Gophers' season comes down to Wisconsin to avoid losing season, gain bowl berth

College Football Insider: Injuries have required the Gophers to play too many freshman and point out program's constant need to bolster depth.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[MNVCGUY]

The roster management piece of college football right now has to keep a lot of coaches up at night. The days of being able to project your roster for more than a year or so out are a thing of the past right now.

Have said before, I could see a lot of older coaches decide to hang it up as opposed to dealing with this constant state of flux and change.

 

[CentralGopher]

Something needs to change with the amount of roster turnover we have due to NIL transfers. It continually makes us a younger/less experienced team overall and makes it harder to win games.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Something needs to change with the amount of roster turnover we have due to NIL transfers. It continually makes us a younger/less experienced team overall and makes it harder to win games.

The current pace of roster turnover is not sustainable and more and more coaches are speaking out about it. The best thing the NCAA could do for everyone would be to remove the free transfer and go back to making guys sit out a year.

That would put a stop to some of the poaching of players by the schools with deep pockets and it would make players think a lot harder about if they really want to transfer or not.

 

[DarthGopher]

Something needs to change with the amount of roster turnover we have due to NIL transfers. It continually makes us a younger/less experienced team overall and makes it harder to win games.

If the NCAA does not get a handle on this free-for-all disguised as NIL (which most people predicted would happen), college athletics will destroy itself with only 15 to 20 deep pocket schools routinely battling for championships. It doesn't make for a compelling product. The NFL for all its douchery at times figured out that parity is very profitable. At this point I'm compelled to follow only professional teams as at least there are rules (except baseball, which i haven't watched with any interest in over 15 years) and talent is more equally distributed. If the Twins left I honestly wouldn't care, and '87 and '91 were great times to be a kid / young adult. Now I couldn't name 5 guys on the roster. There is no point in following it.

 

[DarthGopher]

The current pace of roster turnover is not sustainable and more and more coaches are speaking out about it. The best thing the NCAA could do for everyone would be to remove the free transfer and go back to making guys sit out a year.

That would put a stop to some of the poaching of players by the schools with deep pockets and it would make players think a lot harder about if they really want to transfer or not.

This makes complete and total sense, and could be enacted in short order. Plus they lose that year of eligibility. The NCAA could absolutely do this and curb this madness before it is too late.

I suppose until some "student athlete" sues for the ability to have their cake and eat it, too.

 

[MNVCGUY]

If the NCAA does not get a handle on this free-for-all disguised as NIL (which most people predicted would happen), college athletics will destroy itself with only 15 to 20 deep pocket schools routinely battling for championships. It doesn't make for a compelling product. The NFL for all its douchery at times figured out that parity is very profitable. At this point I'm compelled to follow only professional teams as at least there are rules (except baseball, which i haven't watched with any interest in over 15 years) and talent is more equally distributed. If the Twins left I honestly wouldn't care, and '87 and '91 were great times to be a kid / young adult. Now I couldn't name 5 guys on the roster. There is no point in following it.

College football hasn't been a level playing field for a long time and even before open Pay for Play and free transfers the championships were limited to the same group of schools most years.

But they need to get a handle on the roster churn because the amount of player movement is off the charts and making the roster management piece a nightmare for schools across the country.

I'm all for players being able to pursue opportunities and playing time but there need to be some guardrails in place to protect the teams as well.

 

[Gophers1992]

If the NCAA does not get a handle on this free-for-all disguised as NIL (which most people predicted would happen), college athletics will destroy itself with only 15 to 20 deep pocket schools routinely battling for championships. It doesn't make for a compelling product. The NFL for all its douchery at times figured out that parity is very profitable. At this point I'm compelled to follow only professional teams as at least there are rules (except baseball, which i haven't watched with any interest in over 15 years) and talent is more equally distributed. If the Twins left I honestly wouldn't care, and '87 and '91 were great times to be a kid / young adult. Now I couldn't name 5 guys on the roster. There is no point in following it.

MLB has and has always had significantly more parity than CFB. And for that matter it arguably has more than the NFL.

 

[SeaBee_Gopher]

I really like the idea of requiring them to sit a year again. They don't lose any eligibility, right? They just push one year of eligibility down the road. Seems fair enough. Isn't that similar to a non-compete agreement in private industry? Maybe they can use that year to actually work on their college degree.

 

[Stuff]

Losing Austin Booker was a tough one.

He has 48 tackles and 8 sacks this year.

 

[disco]

MLB has and has always had significantly more parity than CFB. And for that matter it arguably has more than the NFL.

MLB doesn't have a salary cap, but there are other factors that help with parity. Roster limits, farm team limits, delayed free agency etc. Remember, Kansas City won the WS just a few years ago.

 

[gopherphil]

Losing Austin Booker was a tough one.

He has 48 tackles and 8 sacks this year.

Where did he end up?

 

[Gophers1992]

MLB doesn't have a salary cap, but there are other factors that help with parity. Roster limits, farm team limits, delayed free agency etc. Remember, Kansas City won the WS just a few years ago.

Yep, personally I'll take MLB's parity over the NFL being almost totally driven by QB play.

 

[walrus]

Change is always happening. Either lay down and give up or find ways to deal with change, work to change the way one perceives change, and work to make change HELP the existing Gopher football program.

l believe the same can be true with the expanding B1G conference. take a look at the home and away conference locations. There is a whole, big country to explore

Per Randy:

Regaining that consistency won't happen overnight, and Fleck knows that bolstering his roster is a priority, especially with name, image and likeness opportunities and an active transfer portal.

"There's a new era of college football, and we've got to continue to find creative ways to gain depth, keep depth, maintain depth, retain depth," he said, "and then bring depth in from the portal side and the recruiting side."

Gophers' season comes down to Wisconsin to avoid losing season, gain bowl berth

College Football Insider: Injuries have required the Gophers to play too many freshman and point out program's constant need to bolster depth.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Some guy]

I really like the idea of requiring them to sit a year again. They don't lose any eligibility, right? They just push one year of eligibility down the road. Seems fair enough. Isn't that similar to a non-compete agreement in private industry? Maybe they can use that year to actually work on their college degree.

Would be a really easy way of doing it and there are currently no court precedents saying they can’t have people sit out to transfer. In fact, there currently is a rule where some people are actively sitting out this year due to transfer

 

[SeaBee_Gopher]

Change is always happening. Either lay down and give up or find ways to deal with change, work to change the way one perceives change, and work to make change HELP the existing Gopher football program.

l believe the same can be true with the expanding B1G conference. take a look at the home and away conference locations. There is a whole, big country to explore

Hey, we're in the middle of the country so we won't have any of the worst flights to far off away game locations. We finally have something that gives us an advantage...even if it's very minor! I knew there was a good reason to live in flyover country.

 

[walrus]

Change is always happening. Either lay down and give up or find ways to deal with change, work to change the way one perceives change, and work to make change HELP the existing Gopher football program.

l believe the same can be true with the expanding B1G conference. take a look at the home and away conference locations. There is a whole, big country to explore

 

[Stuff]

Where did he end up?

Kansas

 

[Polski]

College football hasn't been a level playing field for a long time and even before open Pay for Play and free transfers the championships were limited to the same group of schools most years.

But they need to get a handle on the roster churn because the amount of player movement is off the charts and making the roster management piece a nightmare for schools across the country.

I'm all for players being able to pursue opportunities and playing time but there need to be some guardrails in place to protect the teams as well

I know. I'm just feisty. It's been a tough year. It just feels like excuses to me.

NIL wasn't the one who only let one QB take a snap. Ever. Even in blowouts.

The transfer portal didn't give Mo his 35th and 36th carries in games where we led by 20 pts with 4 minutes to go. While all the other RB's on our roster stood on the sidelines and chewed on their mouth guards.

MSM, how often did he come off the field in games that were already decided??

Your depth behind them leaves and then you just blame the portal and NIL?! Hmmmm.

So we get to use the portal to add depth and strength to our team, that's OK..... but when someone else uses it and grabs one of our players it's NOT ok??

I agree that we'd all like to change the system. But it's here, so it's survival of the fittest.

 

[upnorthkid]

1 free transfer unless head coach is fired and then you sit out. Things will also get better once Covid bonus years end as it’s made the pool larger where guys are sticking around longer (saw Rising is coming back next year for year 7 for example, so I’d assume some Utah QBs will be on the market). This will self correct to some extent but either you play ball while the portal is how it is or you lose. I do agree with some posters PJ does himself no favors by how late in games he plays the starters. Guys have to get time more and more and really there is no reason to RS anyone now if they can contribute, the same as there’s no reason RBs should be toting it 30x a game if you have capable backs (we did prior to injury). Adapt or die, simple as that

 

[DarthGopher]

I know. I'm just feisty. It's been a tough year. It just feels like excuses to me.

NIL wasn't the one who only let one QB take a snap. Ever. Even in blowouts.

The transfer portal didn't give Mo his 35th and 36th carries in games where we led by 20 pts with 4 minutes to go. While all the other RB's on our roster stood on the sidelines and chewed on their mouth guards.

MSM, how often did he come off the field in games that were already decided??

Your depth behind them leaves and then you just blame the portal and NIL?! Hmmmm.

So we get to use the portal to add depth and strength to our team, that's OK..... but when someone else uses it and grabs one of our players it's NOT ok??

I agree that we'd all like to change the system. But it's here, so it's survival of the fittest.

There is certainly truth to what you posted.

There was no reason to run Darius Taylor until his hamstring came apart, especially with other capable backs. Guys want to feel a part of the game, especially when they can clearly contribute, and not be relegated to a sideline cheerleader.

When I played I was happy to have my backup or my backup's backup take over in the 4Q if we were up by a lot (or down by a lot). It gave them experience, it was fun to be an adjunct position "coach" and I knew there would be games down the road where I'd be going the whole time. Saved a little wear and tear on the ol' body. That game experience energized them for practice the following week, too. We all benefitted.

 

[denguegopher]

Losing Austin Booker was a tough one.

He has 48 tackles and 8 sacks this year.

That hurts.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

as far as the transfer rule - it's really hard to put the genie back in the bottle. free transfers and NIL are are part of the "player's rights" movement. Schools haul in huge amounts of TV money. Coaches get to jump from team to team with no consequences. and players did not share in any of those benefits.

If you think players are going to give back any of their new rights without a court fight, you're dreaming.

Coaches now have to live in a world where players have more rights. and coaches have to evolve.

Here's a wacky analogy - in the world of pro wrestling, you have "jobbers" - 2nd-tier wrestlers who exist so that they can lose to the 'face' or the 'heel' in the weekly shows.

in college FB, teams that cannot or will not compete with the NIL and the Portal are going to become jobbers. so MN can either find a way to compete, or become the football equivalent of Kenny 'Sodbuster' Jay.

 

[beavergopher]

I know. I'm just feisty. It's been a tough year. It just feels like excuses to me.

NIL wasn't the one who only let one QB take a snap. Ever. Even in blowouts.

The transfer portal didn't give Mo his 35th and 36th carries in games where we led by 20 pts with 4 minutes to go. While all the other RB's on our roster stood on the sidelines and chewed on their mouth guards.

MSM, how often did he come off the field in games that were already decided??

Your depth behind them leaves and then you just blame the portal and NIL?! Hmmmm.

So we get to use the portal to add depth and strength to our team, that's OK..... but when someone else uses it and grabs one of our players it's NOT ok??

I agree that we'd all like to change the system. But it's here, so it's survival of the fittest.

Exactly

 

[mnsportsgeek]

The current pace of roster turnover is not sustainable and more and more coaches are speaking out about it. The best thing the NCAA could do for everyone would be to remove the free transfer and go back to making guys sit out a year.

That would put a stop to some of the poaching of players by the schools with deep pockets and it would make players think a lot harder about if they really want to transfer or not.

The transfer portal is also not good for kids with a huge chunk of them not ever finding new schools.

 

[MaxyJR1]

The current pace of roster turnover is not sustainable and more and more coaches are speaking out about it. The best thing the NCAA could do for everyone would be to remove the free transfer and go back to making guys sit out a year.

That would put a stop to some of the poaching of players by the schools with deep pockets and it would make players think a lot harder about if they really want to transfer or not.

Should only get free transfer if HC leaves or is fired.

 

[MaxyJR1]

One way to combat transfers a little is to recruit great insider the state and boarder states. 2024 is a really good class for development. Transfer replacement needs to be good as well.

 

[Jack jones]

as far as the transfer rule - it's really hard to put the genie back in the bottle. free transfers and NIL are are part of the "player's rights" movement. Schools haul in huge amounts of TV money. Coaches get to jump from team to team with no consequences. and players did not share in any of those benefits.

If you think players are going to give back any of their new rights without a court fight, you're dreaming.

Coaches now have to live in a world where players have more rights. and coaches have to evolve.

Here's a wacky analogy - in the world of pro wrestling, you have "jobbers" - 2nd-tier wrestlers who exist so that they can lose to the 'face' or the 'heel' in the weekly shows.

in college FB, teams that cannot or will not compete with the NIL and the Portal are going to become jobbers. so MN can either find a way to compete, or become the football equivalent of Kenny 'Sodbuster' Jay.

That’s the problem in a nut shell. The coaches should be in charge, not the players. The players are at that school because a coach recruited him, not the other way around. But then a liberal judge, who has never worn a jockstrap wouldn’t understand.

 

[NotAFanOfBecky]

Hey, we're in the middle of the country so we won't have any of the worst flights to far off away game locations. We finally have something that gives us an advantage...even if it's very minor! I knew there was a good reason to live in flyover country.

You might have just hit the nail on the head SeaBee! That’s our angle, centrally located and voted best airport in the USA for another year! Now if we could just come up with some dollars to go with that…

 

[MNVCGUY]

Should only get free transfer if HC leaves or is fired.

That is a decent compromise, grad transfers and players who have head coaching changes can transfer without sitting out. Everyone else has to sit a year if they want to transfer.