2026 ND Portal Targets

[Dale]

It’s just not that simple. There are serious ramifications from overpaying

You upset all the other DTs in the room? What do any of them besides Hughes have as a leg to stand on?

 

[irish2104]

ISD has a great piece about roster retention though that will make these portal struggles a bit less painful

 

[ab2cmiller]

You upset all the other DTs in the room? What do any of them besides Hughes have as a leg to stand on?

Wouldn’t necessarily be limited to DT’s. If people talk, anyone on the defensive side could end up being pissed if they found out a lesser quality player was getting paid double what they are.

Doesn’t mean you can’t smooth things over, but it does pose a risk to the culture you are trying to build.

Been in business a long time and if there is one thing I’ve learned, is that people comparing pay amounts or raise amounts usually ends up with someone being butthurt.

I’ve seen employees who were thrilled with a 10% raise one day, end up being pissed after they found out that another employee in the same department got a 12% raise.

 

[peadeam]

I'd like for you to expand on this.

I’ve stated this before in this thread but they have to take into account how current players react to some random dude making three times what they are after they’ve been committed to the program. If you ever owned a business or had to hire employees you know exactly what I’m talking about. Second, you’re inflating the market for these guys that will make it more difficult in the future.
When people warned of this exact situation I didn’t expect it to happen so fast. How is this sustainable? Look at this thread, there are 100 pissed off ND fans because the staff seems reluctant to give rotational players 3 million dollars so we can keep up with TT and Indiana. It’s absolutely absurd and if I were Freeman I’d be meeting with the Ravens tomorrow

 

[RudyVerse]

I’m less concerned about how a player may react and more concerned about how our star stunted LB corp will act when the OL is blasting our tiny and inexperienced DTs into them first playoff game.

 

[Dale]

Wouldn’t necessarily be limited to DT’s. If people talk, anyone on the defensive side could end up being pissed if they found out a lesser quality player was getting paid double what they are.

Doesn’t mean you can’t smooth things over, but it does pose a risk to the culture you are trying to build.

Been in business a long time and if there is one thing I’ve learned, is that people comparing pay amounts or raise amounts usually ends up with someone being butthurt.

I’ve seen employees who were thrilled with a 10% raise one day, end up being pissed after they found out that another employee in the same department got a 12% raise.

I’ve stated this before in this thread but they have to take into account how current players react to some random dude making three times what they are after they’ve been committed to the program. If you ever owned a business or had to hire employees you know exactly what I’m talking about. Second, you’re inflating the market for these guys that will make it more difficult in the future.
When people warned of this exact situation I didn’t expect it to happen so fast. How is this sustainable? Look at this thread, there are 100 pissed off ND fans because the staff seems reluctant to give rotational players 3 million dollars so we can keep up with TT and Indiana. It’s absolutely absurd and if I were Freeman I’d be meeting with the Ravens tomorrow

By all accounts we are already paying a ton in roster retention so the star players here are more than fairly compensated. Overpaying for a DT ≠ paying them more than Leonard Moore. Some teams also have players sign NDAs. And at this point these guys should be hungry for a championship and are more than aware that the DT room is a gaping hole that led to costing them a chance this year already at that.

 

[Ndaccountant]

 

[CanadalovesND]

I’ve stated this before in this thread but they have to take into account how current players react to some random dude making three times what they are after they’ve been committed to the program. If you ever owned a business or had to hire employees you know exactly what I’m talking about. Second, you’re inflating the market for these guys that will make it more difficult in the future.
When people warned of this exact situation I didn’t expect it to happen so fast. How is this sustainable? Look at this thread, there are 100 pissed off ND fans because the staff seems reluctant to give rotational players 3 million dollars so we can keep up with TT and Indiana. It’s absolutely absurd and if I were Freeman I’d be meeting with the Ravens tomorrow

Yes, I understand the feelings argument. But, as Dale alluded to, what other DT can stand on the same leg as Brewu. They may have been committed to the program and buying in, doing their part, but if a guy comes in that's better... what can you say against that as the player? Especially if Brewu backs it up on the field.

The DT market is constantly being inflated. Every year. ND paying one guy market value isn't the driving force for overpaying. They are merely keeping up with the Jones'.

 

[loweND]

Many pages ago, somebody asked why the staff would keep commitments quiet until closer to the end of the portal window. I doubt they are actually doing this, but it sure would be smart to not give existing players a chance to compare $$$ with incoming transfers until after the portal has closed.

 

[peadeam]

Yes, I understand the feelings argument. But, as Dale alluded to, what other DT can stand on the same leg as Brewu. They may have been committed to the program and buying in, doing their part, but if a guy comes in that's better... what can you say against that as the player? Especially if Brewu backs it up on the field.

The DT market is constantly being inflated. Every year. ND paying one guy market value isn't the driving force for overpaying. They are merely keeping up with the Jones'.

It’s not just about DT’s tho. Any player can be butt hurt and instantly be a cancer in the locker room

 

[tirishman505]

yeah I don't buy the feelings argument anymore. every single one of the guys on the team is repped by someone who knows what fair market value is at their position and they are all renegotiating every year. and guys that think they are getting underpaid leave. See Coogan, Spindler, etc.

as for inflating the market, it's actually the other way around. the market is rising to its accurate level. just look at salaries in the NFL. What are the top paying position groups? what are they in CFB? they're not exactly the same, but they rhyme. Prister the other day was marveling that Soresby is earning half as much as the Marcus Freeman. But when we look to the NFL, who gets paid more? Even setting that aside, trying to be the one guy holding back the tide is a losing proposition. you'd be better off opting out of the game altogether.

 

[PolishDomer]

The fact that we haven’t had a single commitment yet is staggering.

Not even a Kicker...a Kicker! that we have known about needing since September...

 

[PolishDomer]

Brewu is on campus at ND right now (allegedly, but haven't seen a confirmation)

Brewu was also expected to visit OSU as soon as he entered the portal. It was all but announced that he was considering visiting.

I get that he's from the Buckeye State, from Columbus, but Francis... OSU didn't believe in you as a player coming out of high school. A certain DL coach did, and that dude is now at ND, a team where you can probably be a starter right away.

Look at me, writing as if Brewu reads this board.

You would think with a last name like Brew U he would be a super NIL candidate for any teams in Milwaukee...

 

[arrowryan]

ISD has a great piece about roster retention though that will make these portal struggles a bit less painful

ND retained nothing at DT, so I’m not sure what that article is gonna say. That’s essentially the only thing they’ve needed to grab in the portal, and they’ve failed miserably.

 

[DCK_1981]

We are the WTF point of portal recruiting for me. Portal has been open for a week and we haven’t gotten even 1 person to commit? Not 1?! Something big had better happen over the next week or this will have been a huge whiff.

 

[CanadalovesND]

We are the WTF point of portal recruiting for me. Portal has been open for a week and we haven’t gotten even 1 person to commit? Not 1?! Something big had better happen over the next week or this will have been a huge whiff.

Honest question... do you think ND will be idle when it comes to the end?

II said this on a podcast today. There are 4500 players in the portal. ND can get 5-7 players that they like and can contribute.

 

[IRISHbluehen]

Eric Hansen had an article today, said the beginning of the portal will be explained better once the portal closes, and he likes where things are heading. Ill take the hopium lol.

 

[jprue24]

By all accounts we are already paying a ton in roster retention so the star players here are more than fairly compensated. Overpaying for a DT ≠ paying them more than Leonard Moore. Some teams also have players sign NDAs. And at this point these guys should be hungry for a championship and are more than aware that the DT room is a gaping hole that led to costing them a chance this year already at that.

About compensation!?

 

[PolishDomer]

We are the WTF point of portal recruiting for me. Portal has been open for a week and we haven’t gotten even 1 person to commit? Not 1?! Something big had better happen over the next week or this will have been a huge whiff.

If I recall there is no longer a Spring Portal any longer so Im sure the time crunch is on...

 

[IrishinSyria]

What's scary is if employ this same strategy next year. With all of the impact players they're losing, they're going to have to go big-game hunting and land some impact players from the portal.

I mean, maybe. Or maybe we’ll have to trust that we’ve developed good players from all of these excellent classes Freeman has recruited.

 

[MrNimbus]

I'm starting to get really worried.

 

[IrishinSyria]

About compensation!?

Yeah, NDA’s about compensation aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.

I’m not an Indiana lawyer, so I don’t know whether or not they’d in theory be enforceable, but I feel very confident that no program would ever be dumb enough to take legal action against one of its players for telling teammates what they’re being paid.

 

[ACamp1900]

The fact that we haven’t had a single commitment yet is staggering.

The DT thing is what gets me,… you can not fuck that up

 

[irish2104]

Eric Hansen had an article today, said the beginning of the portal will be explained better once the portal closes, and he likes where things are heading. Ill take the hopium lol.

Link?

 

[irishnd31]

Is panicking justified now?

No but feel free to piss a lake in your firm Mattress Soft bed

 

[irishnd31]

I'm starting to get really worried. View attachment 3062148

lol. Wet em good brother

 

[jprue24]

Yeah, NDA’s about compensation aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.

I’m not an Indiana lawyer, so I don’t know whether or not they’d in theory be enforceable, but I feel very confident that no program would ever be dumb enough to take legal action against one of its players for telling teammates what they’re being paid.

NDAs about compensation are illegal/unenforceable for employees, but that really isn't what's causing my alarm. It's that they are doing NDAs at all. Once again treating them like employees without calling them employees.

So many fucking problems because people want to keep pretending.

 

[RudyVerse]

Eric Hansen had an article today, said the beginning of the portal will be explained better once the portal closes, and he likes where things are heading. Ill take the hopium lol.

He may be playing DT for us.

 

[irishnd31]

He may be playing DT for us.

Send in the fatty that pooped his pants on live stream. Who wants to touch that?

 

[Synoptico]

I remember last year there was a big difference between committed and publicly committed. In fact I remember people got paid not to post ther were committed