Portal Movement in the NSIC

[Matt Witwicki]

https://x.com/WittD2Football/status/1784997619523018884

Shen Butler-Lawson to the portal today....some of the biggest D2 portal news this year. D1 aspirations, I assume.

[Matt Witwicki]

Kendis Ledbetter commits to USF

https://twitter.com/KendisLedbetter/...99374203785704

..to add further context to this move. He is a Sioux Falls kid (WHS) and went to UND from HS, then CSP. He had 5 TFL for the Golden Bears last year..as a R-Frosh..and has the potential to be an all-league player in the NSIC.
https://cspbears.com/sports/football...ledbetter/8835

**With recent legislation in D2, a player can now essentially have unlimited xfers in the portal..after the one-time-transfer rule was tested in court a year ago in D1 and didn't hold up well..so the thought is the one time xfer was limiting the players ability to better their situation or for earning power, etc etc. If that rule wasn't gonna hold up in D1..the thought was it wouldn't be right for D2 either, as some teams do have some form of NIL and such.

[USFIllini]

Kendis Ledbetter commits to USF

https://twitter.com/KendisLedbetter/...99374203785704

[Matt Witwicki]

Some recent portal movement of top players....Mary and Minot here..

https://x.com/DysonTraivon
8 scores last year for Mary at WR

(grad xfer here)
https://x.com/iamzayvii
Al-time leading tackler for Minot..very good player at safety.

Both are getting FCS offers.

[USFIllini]

Coo get a transfer RB from NIU. Played HS ball in Nebraska. Big back 5'11" 226 pounds. USF Running back room is getting some nice depth

https://x.com/_NashChristian/status/...468830055?s=20

[SW_Mustang]

He did get the MVP award at the High School All-American Bowl this past weekend as a safety.

https://www.thedailygopher.com/2024/...-american-bowl

Yeah I saw that. Absolutely not rooting against the kid, I hope he does well for the Gophs.

[Matt Witwicki]

Myles West - Minot leading RB this last year....made it official over the weekend. He's heading down to the GAC..back closer to home..Arkansas Tech.


@MylesWest13
5’11” 208 Transfer RB
Arkansas Tech
Houston, TX

[Millsy]

After I Googled it, I remembered they co-op with Cloquet for hockey.

That being said, he hasn't exactly played top level talent. Rooting for him though.

He did get the MVP award at the High School All-American Bowl this past weekend as a safety.

https://www.thedailygopher.com/2024/...-american-bowl

[SW_Mustang]

Esko might be small, but it’s right outside of Duluth. He’ll be fine.

After I Googled it, I remembered they co-op with Cloquet for hockey.

That being said, he hasn't exactly played top level talent. Rooting for him though.

[Stanger86]

My staunch urbanism aside, this is my take too. It's why I'm curious to see how Koi Perich does with Minnesota.

Ultimately, it's why states abandoned the one-champion model of high school sports and went to a class structure. One could say Minneota has a chance to beat Eden Prairie, but the likelihood of that happening is near zero.

At the end of the day, I don't care where the talent comes from. But the reality is, it's not as likely to come from the smaller programs. And there is literally nothing to be offended by in saying so, though I'm sure it'll ruffle someone's jimmies.

Esko might be small, but it’s right outside of Duluth. He’ll be fine.

[MrMustang]

I really like this reference. I think that's what most consider "within our area".

me too

[SW_Mustang]

Also, just so no one’s feelings are hurt…I’m not ragging on small town/school players. Talent is talent. But the volume at larger schools generates competition within teams rather than just between area teams. Some HSs in the metro have superior facilities to colleges. Some look like mini college campuses (and some have much larger enrollment than NSIC schools). Opportunities are more plentiful for training, etc. I grew up outside the metro and had a chip on my shoulder about how the all-state teams were basically all-metro teams, back in the 2-class days. Some outliers for sure. But then moved here almost 15 years ago and understand why. Also not saying the small school kids should be overlooked or underestimated, but it’s generally safe to say that a kid from a 9-man team isn’t facing the level of competition a kid from a 6A team is on a weekly basis.

My staunch urbanism aside, this is my take too. It's why I'm curious to see how Koi Perich does with Minnesota.

Ultimately, it's why states abandoned the one-champion model of high school sports and went to a class structure. One could say Minneota has a chance to beat Eden Prairie, but the likelihood of that happening is near zero.

At the end of the day, I don't care where the talent comes from. But the reality is, it's not as likely to come from the smaller programs. And there is literally nothing to be offended by in saying so, though I'm sure it'll ruffle someone's jimmies.

[Matt Witwicki]

It's funny you say that.

Former Grand Valley coach Matt Mitchell used to talk about how GV had a "tank of gas" recruiting philosophy. The majority of their team would come from the area in which they could drive on a tank of gas. 25 miles per gallon x an 18 gallon tank = 450 miles.

I really like this reference. I think that's what most consider "within our area".

[Stanger86]

It's funny you say that.

Former Grand Valley coach Matt Mitchell used to talk about how GV had a "tank of gas" recruiting philosophy. The majority of their team would come from the area in which they could drive on a tank of gas. 25 miles per gallon x an 18 gallon tank = 450 miles.

Another good point. I know Hudl and social media has drastically altered the recruiting game, but it also is cheaper for a program to recruit a kid within a 6-hour drive than it is to fly down to Florida or Texas for an in-home visit.

[Stanger86]

It matters where you are within a state too. For Winona and probably Mankato, northern Illinois is close enough for local/regional recruiting. For SMSU, Omaha is a short 4 hour drive.

I remember Gophers coach PJ Fleck talked after his hire about his recruiting home base being within an 8-10 hour drive. That probably gets tightened up for schools at the D2 level, but five hours should be a pretty reasonable area to find 50-75% of your recruits.

I wanted to add to this point that it's also important when you look at the three North Dakota schools. It's also part of why I think I'm a little more positive about Jamestown's chances compared to the other two than a lot of others are.

If a Fargo kid is choosing between Minot and Jamestown, I feel like Jamestown has the advantage in terms of location in many cases. Sure there are other factors in play, but a 90-minute interstate drive is more manageable than the four-plus hours to Minot. Only being 1.5 hours into ND also means as a coaching staff you can probably reach a little farther into Minnesota for kids.

Minot to just Fargo is as long of a drive as going from Jamestown all the way down 94 to St Cloud. Minot to Billings, Montana, is a shorter drive than Minot to either the Twin Cities or Sioux Falls. I think UMary recognizes this with the Schillinger hire. The previous staff in Minot recognized this as well.