2026 Transfer Portal - General

IrishLax

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Mostly agreement / minor quibbles with you up until 5, but hell no to that one. If international kids are better so be it, nothing wrong with going D3 or ending your athletic career if you’re not up to it.
In what universe does it behoove anyone in the United States for American colleges to e filling up their soccer teams with rent-a-player 22 year olds from South America and Europe? It is becoming virtually impossible for American high school players to get scholarships because schools do not want to "waste" spots on 17 year olds when they can grab proven foreign players. Basketball is not much better.

What is the purpose of collegiate sports? It is not to be a minor league semi-pro system. It's supposed to be students competing for their schools.
 

IrishLax

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It looks like Cig and IU are going to secure another solid DE today:


Indiana is going to be very interesting to follow because their entire method is grabbing old guys who are quality players. They aren't really chasing underclassmen with high NFL upside with the exception of a handful of guys like Marsh.

Their team this year is full of 5th and 6th year players. A lot of the guys they are adding in the portal are multi-year starters but not serious NFL prospects... just really good football players. This is like Bill Snyder Kansas State on steroids.
 

benneboy

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Very solid Pass Rusher DE in the portal if Jalen Thompson doesn't pan out. One year remaining.


Kind of disappointing numbers this year but you watch his highlights he has crazy burst. Could have a breakout year on a better team.
 

IrishLion

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Indiana is going to be very interesting to follow because their entire method is grabbing old guys who are quality players. They aren't really chasing underclassmen with high NFL upside with the exception of a handful of guys like Marsh.

Their team this year is full of 5th and 6th year players. A lot of the guys they are adding in the portal are multi-year starters but not serious NFL prospects... just really good football players. This is like Bill Snyder Kansas State on steroids.

It makes a shitload of sense.

You create the highest floor possible when you stock up on adults with proven production over multiple seasons. You know they will be consistent, total meltdowns will be minimal, and they are motivated to try and make the NFL a reality.

It’s like creating a college program full of dudes that are in contract years… you’re going to get the best out of them, and you know they’ve been through it all.

If you hit on a few high school recruits and get above-average QB play to compliment a roster of dudes that is generally older and more experienced than most of the competition they will face, you could catch lightning in a bottle the way they are this year.
 

Dale

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It makes a shitload of sense.

You create the highest floor possible when you stock up on adults with proven production over multiple seasons. You know they will be consistent, total meltdowns will be minimal, and they are motivated to try and make the NFL a reality.

It’s like creating a college program full of dudes that are in contract years… you’re going to get the best out of them, and you know they’ve been through it all.

If you hit on a few high school recruits and get above-average QB play to compliment a roster of dudes that is generally older and more experienced than most of the competition they will face, you could catch lightning in a bottle the way they are this year.

Downside: FSU
 

NDWarrior

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Along these lines kind of, it will be interesting to see what David Braun can do with Northwestern which has already made some key big name offensive staff hires including Chip Kelly as OC and Jerry Neuheisel as QB coach.

It will be interesting to see if they can at least get to Vanderbilt level of winning.
Northwestern football is building for more, but not at the cost of its core values

Also, they will have a new stadium.
 

Pete

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I didn’t watch any Cincinnati football this year, is he worth 5 million in oil money?
 

Irish5Saint

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It makes a shitload of sense.

You create the highest floor possible when you stock up on adults with proven production over multiple seasons. You know they will be consistent, total meltdowns will be minimal, and they are motivated to try and make the NFL a reality.

It’s like creating a college program full of dudes that are in contract years… you’re going to get the best out of them, and you know they’ve been through it all.

If you hit on a few high school recruits and get above-average QB play to compliment a roster of dudes that is generally older and more experienced than most of the competition they will face, you could catch lightning in a bottle the way they are this year.
Also will note that for all the crap ND gets about its schedule, IU’s is just as bad if not worse. The Big 10 has some downright bad teams right now.
 

Dale

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The bedrock of IU is still James Madison. Ponds, Kamara, Fisher, Sarratt, Black are all JMU guys for example.

I think people are hung up on Cignetti as a Portal King but they have it wrong. The development of a dozen 0 - 2.5 star recruits to CFP caliber players is far more impressive than the portal activity. Why I was surprised Haines (or Shanahan) didn’t land a HC job.
 

tirishman505

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The bedrock of IU is still James Madison. Ponds, Kamara, Fisher, Sarratt, Black are all JMU guys for example.

I think people are hung up on Cignetti as a Portal King but they have it wrong. The development of a dozen 0 - 2.5 star recruits to CFP caliber players is far more impressive than the portal activity. Why I was surprised Haines (or Shanahan) didn’t land a HC job.

I noticed IU was quick to reupp the coordinators when cig got a new deal. They didn’t wait for a suitor to come calling.
 

FightingIrishLover7

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I'm confused
I thought Cignetti was being praised for getting a bunch out of JMU level recruits

How is going full portal year after year going to be sustainable? How does that create program identity longevity?

This will be more like an NFL team cleaning house and starting over year after year. I don't see how you become a blue blood that way.

The JMU way with transfers mixed in? Sure, but at some point you have to have 4 year players
 

IrishInOntario

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No, not even close. I don’t understand the hype.
You're worth what the market dictates you're worth. If a program like Texas Tech is willing to "overpay" because they need a quality QB to remain competitive and relevant, that's what you're worth.

Good for that kid for cashing in during a high demand, short supply market. That $5 million, if handled well, will set him up for life, even if he does not have an NFL future.

If you're Texas Tech, it's totally worth it. Not only is your NIL money coming from somebody else (largely O&G billionaire Cody Campbell), but it helps you stay at / near the top of a bad conference and puts you in the national spotlight. $5 million is a small price to pay to help your program ascend to and stay at the upper echelon of the sport.
 

RudyVerse

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How many has IU locked up? Extremely impressive operation for them. They’re all in.

 

stlnd01

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I didn’t watch any Cincinnati football this year, is he worth 5 million in oil money?

I know there are no rules anymore and maybe it would get sued, but you do wonder if conferences at some point step in and say teams can't poach kids from teams in the same conference. Texas Tech may have the biggest checkbook in the Big 12 but they're still only one vote.

And no I can't imagine the QB for a middleweight team that lost its last four games this year is really worth $5M. But the market is what it is.
 

JerseyIrishMan

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For all the ball gagging on IUs dick, Sorsby was supposedly their preferred guy.
He wasn't. It's been Hoover. Sorsby previously played at IU under old staff.

The bedrock of IU is still James Madison. Ponds, Kamara, Fisher, Sarratt, Black are all JMU guys for example.

I think people are hung up on Cignetti as a Portal King but they have it wrong. The development of a dozen 0 - 2.5 star recruits to CFP caliber players is far more impressive than the portal activity. Why I was surprised Haines (or Shanahan) didn’t land a HC job.
Yes as you hit on Cig and staff have developed 0-2.5 star recruits extremely well. Cig was in scouting at Alabama when Saban started there. He clearly has an eye for talent he can work with whether they go to the NFL or not. Haines and Shanahan have been with him their entire careers and Haines has a young daughter. Not in any rush to become HCs.

Also, they're recruiting more than just the portal. They're going to be formidable with Cig at the helm, like it or not. Acknowledge reality. Back to back playoff appearances and they'll probably make it next year too.
 

WildMan1

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$5m for Sorsby is not just too much, it’s insane 😂

Either donors are going to stop over paying at some point when it fails to produce championships or it’s just going to spiral out of control.
 

Irish#1

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It's crazy what happens in the portal. There are some decent players available, but rarely are they the top or elite guys. Being the #1 ranked QB, DT, CB, etc. in the portal isn't the same as being the #1 player at their position in CFB. Media tends to overhype these guys.
 

Huntr

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$5m for Sorsby is not just too much, it’s insane 😂

Either donors are going to stop over paying at some point when it fails to produce championships or it’s just going to spiral out of control.


$5 mil is nothing to that guy. $30-$40 mil annually is nothing.

Still have to do it on the field, tho.
 
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