Gopher targets in the portal

[tjgopher]

This can be a win/lose cycle.
Pick up players from the Portal and that tells your younger players that they are not well thought of and are not high on the depth chart so they enter the portal and there goes your depth, player development, and it hurts recruiting young talent.
It is a sign of desperation and poor recruiting when you have to fill so many spots.
Especially the OL where teamwork and trusting the other OL are vital.

I think you're trying too hard.

Are you saying the same about Wisconsin? The Badgers have lost at least 11 players to the portal since the start of last season and added six transfer players from the portal since the end of the season. That includes four defensive backs. What message is Jim Leonhard sending to his young players in the secondary? Are they not well thought of? Is having to fill so many holes showing some bad recruiting? Maybe it is. I doubt it. It is likely trying to field the best team they can.

As to this specific Gopher offer of a DT from Houston Baptist, I'm sure it is to provide depth, especially since the Harvard kid backed out of his commitment.

 

[Word]

WR Keontez Lewis; CB Jay Shaw; CB Cedrick Dort; CB Justin Clark; K Vito Calvaruso

That's a lot of cornerbacks. What's going on in the "cornerback" room over there? Desperation? Poor recruiting?

 

[hungan1]

Fleck always has told his players from day one it is his job every year to put recruit them and it's the players' job to make that hard. This is no different from a player perspective than bringing in a HS recruit.

The players know that they are competing to be the very best. When they are in the system long enough to develop, it will serve them we’ll learning leadership skills and discipline.

Zack Annexstad and others who transferred out are quality human beings. Wherever they land, they carry the Gophers’ gold standard.

 

[cheeseheadgophfan]

When it comes to college football, it's pretty uncommon for an 18-19 year old freshman to come into college and be physically ready to play offensive or defensive line. Letting them gain strength by redshirting is a good thing. That's where bringing in portal/juco guys is important so you don't have to play guys who are physically not ready.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

When it comes to college football, it's pretty uncommon for an 18-19 year old freshman to come into college and be physically ready to play offensive or defensive line. Letting them gain strength by redshirting is a good thing. That's where bringing in portal/juco guys is important so you don't have to play guys who are physically not ready.

JUCO is such a crap shoot though.

Random years you see the best JUCO guy at position X go to Alabama ... other years the best JUCO guy at that same position ends up at a G5 team.

It's really random.

Portal player quality has proven to be way higher.

 

[FredCoxRocks]

This can be a win/lose cycle.
Pick up players from the Portal and that tells your younger players that they are not well thought of and are not high on the depth chart so they enter the portal and there goes your depth, player development, and it hurts recruiting young talent.
It is a sign of desperation and poor recruiting when you have to fill so many spots.
Especially the OL where teamwork and trusting the other OL are vital.

I suppose. I would venture to say that there are more feelings hurt in college football rosters than there has been in the past. But the players got what they wanted now, so...
I think your third paragraph is pretty harsh. Virtual every coach in college football is dealing with this. Are they all desperate?

 

[MNVCGUY]

I suppose. I would venture to say that there are more feelings hurt in college football rosters than there has been in the past. But the players got what they wanted now, so...
I think your third paragraph is pretty harsh. Virtual every coach in college football is dealing with this. Are they all desperate?

Plato has been working really hard to equate our use of the transfer portal to poor recruiting for a while now. Almost like he has an agenda of some kind....can't imagine what that could be though...I mean he seems like such a die hard Gopher fan and definitely isn't a Badger fan....

That or he truly just doesn't understand what the portal is and how it is being used by nearly every team around the country including his beloved Badgers.

Lots of people may not like the portal but it is a tool that teams have now and it has become a major factor in recruiting and roster building.

 

[Off-GridTNgopher]

Dl from Nebraska hit the portal...

 

[HoustonTXGopher]

I have heard numerous coaches speak of recruiting the portal first and high school players second. This is the new normal, better get used to it because it is here to stay.

 

[btowngopher]

JUCO is such a crap shoot though.

Random years you see the best JUCO guy at position X go to Alabama ... other years the best JUCO guy at that same position ends up at a G5 team.

It's really random.

Portal player quality has proven to be way higher.

Portal players have often played at the highest levels of college football so you often have known commodities. JUCO isn’t high school, but it’s a totally different thing than playing D1 both on and off the field.

 

[btowngopher]

I have heard numerous coaches speak of recruiting the portal first and high school players second. This is the new normal, better get used to it because it is here to stay.

Yeah I don’t see why a strong program couldn’t be built relying heavily on the portal.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Yeah I don’t see why a strong program couldn’t be built relying heavily on the portal.

I think it is risky to have to rely on the portal for QBs but it can be great for nearly every other position.

As others have said though, it is the new normal in college football and something that fans that don't like it are just going to have to get used to because it isn't going anywhere.