The Portal, 2025 Style

[EyeoftheHawk]

A huge percentage of 'recruiting' at this level is throwing darts at a board (blindfolded) - especially how some programs try and sign transfers.

The budgets are tight. I get it. Bringing in kids -- sight unseen -- is just such a risk. There are programs in this region that sign portal players who don't even visit campus or meet a coach in person. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it's a freaking disaster.

Just about any fool can fake their way through a Zoom call/interview. It's more difficult in person.

Regarding the 'small school' recruiting on the high school level ... it is tricky. Lots of diamonds out there ... lots of total duds, too.

To your point, one of the most dynamic high school players in the state, Jase Ferguson of Central Clarion, remains unsigned. He played at the AA level and is the PA Football Writers Association’s pick for All State QB and player of the year, but I’m guessing the quality of the competition he played against is why he’s still not signed. The thing is, he was dominant against the best teams too and anyone having seen him play can clearly see he’d be a top-tier D2 signee. He’s not a QB at those levels but he sure as heck could be a receiver or DB with his speed and athleticism. One thing he can’t help is only being 6’0”.

[goalieman]

Wanted to know the thoughts of anyone on the board who has seen CB Rashan Murray from Cal (Pa) play of how good he is ...... what are his strengths and weakness, do you think he has the ability to play P4 football ...... interested because he is in the portal and apparently visiting Pitt this weekend ...... thanks in advance for any input !

[Boro33]

A huge percentage of 'recruiting' at this level is throwing darts at a board (blindfolded) - especially how some programs try and sign transfers.

The budgets are tight. I get it. Bringing in kids -- sight unseen -- is just such a risk. There are programs in this region that sign portal players who don't even visit campus or meet a coach in person. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it's a freaking disaster.

Just about any fool can fake their way through a Zoom call/interview. It's more difficult in person.

Regarding the 'small school' recruiting on the high school level ... it is tricky. Lots of diamonds out there ... lots of total duds, too.

Bringing in a portal player without meeting him in person is foolishness. Quality staffs do not go this route.

[Boro33]

Don't worry about me. I'm still recovering from New Year's Eve.

Must a been a wild one...

[Fightingscot82]

A huge percentage of 'recruiting' at this level is throwing darts at a board (blindfolded) - especially how some programs try and sign transfers.

The budgets are tight. I get it. Bringing in kids -- sight unseen -- is just such a risk. There are programs in this region that sign portal players who don't even visit campus or meet a coach in person. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it's a freaking disaster.

Just about any fool can fake their way through a Zoom call/interview. It's more difficult in person.

Regarding the 'small school' recruiting on the high school level ... it is tricky. Lots of diamonds out there ... lots of total duds, too.

College football recruiting and baseball scouting are still stuck in the world of the "eye test" and judging "upside".

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It turns out that judging guys against wildly variant HS competition is hard. And that doesn’t even get into the personality concerns.

A huge percentage of 'recruiting' at this level is throwing darts at a board (blindfolded) - especially how some programs try and sign transfers.

The budgets are tight. I get it. Bringing in kids -- sight unseen -- is just such a risk. There are programs in this region that sign portal players who don't even visit campus or meet a coach in person. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it's a freaking disaster.

Just about any fool can fake their way through a Zoom call/interview. It's more difficult in person.

Regarding the 'small school' recruiting on the high school level ... it is tricky. Lots of diamonds out there ... lots of total duds, too.

[TheBigCat2192]

I'd say to just remember it's not always the 'player' choosing to enter the Portal. It gets perceived that way, but players end up in there for a wide variety of reasons.

A lot of Portal entrants - in simplest terms - are free agents because they are currently homeless. They are no longer a fit and their current coach tells them they are no longer welcome. This happens all the time. It's a major reason why so many of these guys remain homeless.

Coaches miss -- a lot -- in recruiting. Some of these kids turn out to be duds -- athletically and/or academically. Some are just terrible humans and locker room cancers.

It turns out that judging guys against wildly variant HS competition is hard. And that doesn’t even get into the personality concerns.

[iupgroundhog]

This is a rather funny interpretation given that the loudest public voices for athlete’s rights (the “individual rights” you mention) are broadly left-wing like labor activists and “Squad” members like Cory Booker. Meanwhile a fair amount of college sports admins and writers felt that a Trump administration and/or Republican Congress (like Cruz and Tuberville in the Senate) would be more favorable to the NCAA and its quest for an anti-trust exemption and legislation specifying that players are not to be defined as employees.

Unfortunately, state houses don’t really give us a good idea of who might support what at the federal level because we’ve seen a fair amount of politicians across the board at state level support NIL and try to block the NCAA from enforcing its rules inside their borders.

You make good points. I guess my perspective is more a broader, philosophical one than a political one. Plus, to your point, I have never bought into the players as employees part.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

We could probably discuss this ad nauseum. I personally see it as conforming to right wing thinking because it is based on individual rights over the "common good" and , while everybody believes in individual rights, it is a cornerstone, or maybe the cornerstone of right wing thinking. It places "me" over all other considerations. It is, at its core, Ayn Rand, Edmund Burke, Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan. Just my opinion. Happy New Year.

I'd say to just remember it's not always the 'player' choosing to enter the Portal. It gets perceived that way, but players end up in there for a wide variety of reasons.

A lot of Portal entrants - in simplest terms - are free agents because they are currently homeless. They are no longer a fit and their current coach tells them they are no longer welcome. This happens all the time. It's a major reason why so many of these guys remain homeless.

Coaches miss -- a lot -- in recruiting. Some of these kids turn out to be duds -- athletically and/or academically. Some are just terrible humans and locker room cancers.

[iupgroundhog]

Huh?

Don't worry about me. I'm still recovering from New Year's Eve.

[Boro33]

You are correct regarding Booker and other NIL supporters. My point is mine alone and I think the underlying rationale is oriented toward conservative thinking. Kind of doesn't matter because we have what we have now, anyway.

Huh?

[iupgroundhog]

This is a rather funny interpretation given that the loudest public voices for athlete’s rights (the “individual rights” you mention) are broadly left-wing like labor activists and “Squad” members like Cory Booker. Meanwhile a fair amount of college sports admins and writers felt that a Trump administration and/or Republican Congress (like Cruz and Tuberville in the Senate) would be more favorable to the NCAA and its quest for an anti-trust exemption and legislation specifying that players are not to be defined as employees.

Unfortunately, state houses don’t really give us a good idea of who might support what at the federal level because we’ve seen a fair amount of politicians across the board at state level support NIL and try to block the NCAA from enforcing its rules inside their borders.

You are correct regarding Booker and other NIL supporters. My point is mine alone and I think the underlying rationale is oriented toward conservative thinking. Kind of doesn't matter because we have what we have now, anyway.

[TheBigCat2192]

We could probably discuss this ad nauseum. I personally see it as conforming to right wing thinking because it is based on individual rights over the "common good" and , while everybody believes in individual rights, it is a cornerstone, or maybe the cornerstone of right wing thinking. It places "me" over all other considerations. It is, at its core, Ayn Rand, Edmund Burke, Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan. Just my opinion. Happy New Year.

This is a rather funny interpretation given that the loudest public voices for athlete’s rights (the “individual rights” you mention) are broadly left-wing like labor activists and “Squad” members like Cory Booker. Meanwhile a fair amount of college sports admins and writers felt that a Trump administration and/or Republican Congress (like Cruz and Tuberville in the Senate) would be more favorable to the NCAA and its quest for an anti-trust exemption and legislation specifying that players are not to be defined as employees.

Unfortunately, state houses don’t really give us a good idea of who might support what at the federal level because we’ve seen a fair amount of politicians across the board at state level support NIL and try to block the NCAA from enforcing its rules inside their borders.

[Boro33]

Shepherd is a better program than where Powell is going. Jokes aside it seems like this was a case where student/player and school/team just couldn’t make it work. It happens.

Agree. Program at Shepherd has better history. But the level of competition is a big step up. Weeks 1 and 2 are Vanderbilt and Coastal Carolina. Richmond, William & Mary, Eastern and and Western Illinois, Gardner Webb, the Citidel are common opponents. They played Florida State this year. Looking at scores, I believe they lost 4 games by 5 or fewer points.

[TheBigCat2192]

Shepherd has been having a run that a lot of D2 schools would like to have. After the way my school's program has been going the past couple of years, I'd just appreciate a decent season or two.

Shepherd is a better program than where Powell is going. Jokes aside it seems like this was a case where student/player and school/team just couldn’t make it work. It happens.