2025 Transfer Portal

[SeekNDestroy]

Generally speaking so far, the big bags for high schoolers seem like they’ve mostly gone to Top 50-type recruits. We don’t win a lot of those, but we can build classes full of guys in the 50-200 range and develop them over a few years, and honestly that’s mostly fine.

If the bags start to extend down to Top 150-200 players, our approach becomes harder to sustain.

I think the bags actually do extend beyond the top 50. Schools that are willing to pay big bucks for recruits and miss on their number 1 or number 2 choices are putting that money toward as good a player as they can get. We all see how good Jerimyah Love is and he wasn’t a top 50 prospect. He had schools like aTm offering him 6 figure deals.

 

[NDMatt91]

Generally speaking so far, the big bags for high schoolers seem like they’ve mostly gone to Top 50-type recruits. We don’t win a lot of those, but we can build classes full of guys in the 50-200 range and develop them over a few years, and honestly that’s mostly fine.

If the bags start to extend down to Top 150-200 players, our approach becomes harder to sustain.

I looked over the the rankings from the 2013-2018 classes, and of the top 50 players on the 247 composite, 68% of them have either been drafted or played in at least 1 NFL game as an UDFA. With players in the 51-100 range, it's 44%. So if ND dropped bags to get 3 more top 50 recruits every year, at least 2 of the 3 would pan out. That's a pretty good ROI.

 

[NDFAN2008]

Interesting Chad Bowden recently followed Eli Bowen from Oklahoma might not mean anything but interesting

 

[GrangerIrish24]

Interesting Chad Bowden recently followed Eli Bowen from Oklahoma might not mean anything but interesting

Could you imagine the board chaos if we got the Bowen brothers to transfer in? Please God, make this happen.

 

[NDFAN2008]

Could you imagine the board chaos if we got the Bowen brothers to transfer in? Please God, make this happen.

They would both fill a need both would start right away

 

[choo choo]

More like $20 for a kicker lol

That's what we got now

 

[irishff1014]

The problem with paying HS recruits is that they come in entitled and delusional and have a very high bust rate. It is what it is. In the past, you would just process those guys and rely on superior depth to work it all out.

Assuming you have finite resources, why would you spend $12M on a HS QB like Michigan when you may need to spend that money to compensate Love and Price? Or add 2 proven WRs? ND not "matching" for guys like Dante Moore, Peyton Bowen, etc. is turning out to be the best thing they've ever done. The end result is going to be incoming classes in the teens with hopefully 5-10 key transfers each cycle.

Now... if you start missing on the 5-10 guys... or can't retain your own key players... then you've got a problem. Comes down to what you're willing or able to spend.

Paying 12 million for a high school QB is just stupid. I think most sensible people agree.

Unfortunately you have to finish 4-8 in the recruiting ranks if you really want to have a consistent very good team and run at a championship.

And just like the high schoolers you keep spending money on transfers and giving the loyal good players already in the team your player turnover rate will sky rocket and the culture will be shit.

 

[irishff1014]

Generally speaking so far, the big bags for high schoolers seem like they’ve mostly gone to Top 50-type recruits. We don’t win a lot of those, but we can build classes full of guys in the 50-200 range and develop them over a few years, and honestly that’s mostly fine.

If the bags start to extend down to Top 150-200 players, our approach becomes harder to sustain.

In a class of 25 players ND needs:
5-7 top 100
10-13 top 250
And 10 others.

That’s how ND will be consistently in the top 10.

Then you throw 4-6 difference making transfers in the mix and you will produce a competitive roster every year.

Some teams will still spend stupid money but watch out for them teams that help the players grow and get good true NIL deals. Those players are out there.

 

[ColinKSU]

Loy said they held back funds on HS kids. Are prepared to go "toe to toe" with Portal guys.

There’s no reason why ND can’t do both.

 

[Pete]

Miller Moss to the portal

 

[NDFAN2008]

lots of good names already

 

[NDFAN2008]

Bowden following Micah Hudson

 

[irishff1014]

x.com

x.com

 

[NDPhilly]

Bowden following Micah Hudson

Man I love checking Twitter follows.

 

[IrishLax]

I don't have a huge problem with going portal, but you still have to get players out of high school. Difference makers.

If we go too portal heavy, there's no way the culture can survive. The one year mercenaries are fine to get in where they fit in and fill recruiting holes, but I don't want to see 20-30 transfers a year like other schools.

I also understand not dropping bags on unproven high school kids that may never play a meaningful down.

Be great at rewarding your current roster, fill holes with the portal, find good fits in HS recruiting.

If you go too portal heavy, you end up like FSU. If you go too portal light, you end up like Clemson.

The hardest positions to “portal” are OL and DL. ND is getting it done with OL HS recruiting, but it remains to be seen what happens on the DL. I don’t think we’re recruiting DL well enough out of HS.

The easiest position to portal is QB… of the top 4 teams, three of them have a portal QB.

Everything else is shades of gray.

 

[CanadalovesND]

I can’t find Bowden’s Twitter account, someone help me out

 

[Rocketman84]

Cam Williams should be in the rotation next year his film is electric. I would assume Williams gets more involved in the passing game next year too

Just involved at all, he should be at worse the #3 guy next year.

 

[Rocketman84]

I would too, but there's no reason they can't drop bags for both top-tier HS recruits and portal players. If this is the lane they're going to pick, then they need to put their money where their mouth is. If Caleb Downs' types (true freshman studs that they recruited) hit the portal then ND would have to be seriously involved. Whether they land them or not is another story, but if this is what they say they're going to do then we should expect ND to be dropping the biggest (or among the biggest) bags.

Exactly, im not buying any of that talk until I see them pursue some legit difference makers in the portal w/more than a year of eligibility.

 

[Rocketman84]

6’5 290 Freshman DT from Nebraska might not be a bad depth piece grab

That WR Coleman is a nice prospect as well

 

[Irishnuke]

Bowden following Micah Hudson

I follow Sydney Sweeney. I'm a few NIL dollars short of closing though.

 

[Wild Bill]

If you go too portal heavy, you end up like FSU. If you go too portal light, you end up like Clemson.

The hardest positions to “portal” are OL and DL. ND is getting it done with OL HS recruiting, but it remains to be seen what happens on the DL. I don’t think we’re recruiting DL well enough out of HS.

The easiest position to portal is QB… of the top 4 teams, three of them have a portal QB.

Everything else is shades of gray.

Young and boobcar could be dominant on the edges over the next couple of years. There's been quite a few impact d lineman in the portal and plenty of guys that can add depth.

The key is figuring out which guys will pan out - need more Baptistes and less obens.

Would have been nice to have scourton for a playoff run.

 

[NDFAN2008]

I target another starting safety to replace Watts can’t go into next year with Schular whose great and having Urlacher or Talich replacing Watts Blair could start but rather not rely on a freshman

 

[NDFAN2008]

Nebraska has a tons of guys entering portal wouldn’t be a bad idea to snag a couple depth pieces

 

[irishff1014]

Nebraska has a tons of guys entering portal wouldn’t be a bad idea to snag a couple depth pieces

Again you have to be care who you take. They went to mid field with their captains and would shake Iowa’s hand. They spent stupid money on Raiola.

I am not sure Nebraska is a culture you want to take from. I also understand that some transfers may not like the culture and that’s why they are leaving.

Just do the homework.

 

[Ophiocordyceps]

Loy said they held back funds on HS kids. Are prepared to go "toe to toe" with Portal guys.

I don’t think you really needed inside information as ND missed out on all top targets since June except Blair.

 

[stlnd01]

Again you have to be care who you take. They went to mid field with their captains and would shake Iowa’s hand. They spent stupid money on Raiola.

I am not sure Nebraska is a culture you want to take from. I also understand that some transfers may not like the culture and that’s why they are leaving.

Just do the homework.

Yeah. Surprised by all that, as I always thought highly of Rhule, and he won in college at a couple of places where you don't win without building a good culture. But who knows.

To your broader point, that's what makes portal shopping so hard. You have to bring in the right guys (RKGs, even?) or else you can wind up a mess like Florida State this year. Yet, unlike high school recruiting that goes on for years, you have like two weeks to get to know them. We need to pick up some pieces, yes, but the portal's definitely not an ideal way to build your roster.

 

[NDFAN2008]

Id be curious to know what ND’s NIL budget is. They are stupid for not allowing fans to donate. ND has more millionaire and billionaires and business owners than just about any fan base.

 

[irishff1014]

Id be curious to know what ND’s NIL budget is. They are stupid for not allowing fans to donate. ND has more millionaire and billionaires and business owners than just about any fan base.

I guarantee a lot of the schools big money people don’t like paying for high school student s to play ball and are still on the fence about paying transfers.

 

[Irish#1]

Bowden following Micah Hudson

Texas is the perceived leader.

 

[Irishman77]

Haynes King is sick of losing. He would be epic here next year