The Griz were big on transfers in recent years too. This year every starter on D has to be replaced. This year the roster limit for opt-in schools is making more players available. I wonder where the scholarships are coming from. There have been top FCS teams that haven’t been big in the Portal.
I just think you take every advantage and play every card you are dealt. It seems like the staff/Bobby is leaning into the portal in a more significant way than in years past. I'm pretty confident they still don't like it in comparison to the "old days" but I'm glad to see them taking advantage. UM has a lot to sell to transfers that can't be matched by most of the FCS, and even some FBS schools.
This is a dinosaur way of thinking and any program living and dying with HS recruits will get left behind. Kids don't stay with a program for 5 years anymore. If they don't get playing time when they're young they portal down. If they become stars as underclassmen they portal up. Montana has been very lucky to keep guys like Bergen and Gillman but that's not going to be the case anymore. We also can't compete with P4 schools for 3 and 4 star recruits out of high school. A lot of those kids don't make it at that level and can find a home with the Griz. I guarantee we didn't even bother to recruit Jeilani Davis out of high school.
I don’t disagree, and realize the portal is something good teams have to take advantage of, but…30 transfers in one off-season is a lot. Maybe I’m counting wrong, but that’s what I got from Payton’s list. Add in 17 HS players, and that’s almost 50 new players in one off-season. Basically half the roster. I think there were 25 seniors, 7 players transferred out…
I don’t think anybody is saying not to recruit via the portal, but 50% turnover is certainly not the new normal. Rosters are being built up via multiple years of good HS recruiting. NDSU, SDSU, USD, and MSU are all seeing sustained results from HS recruiting. Why should UM be any different?
If our prior recruiting years were not up to standard, would you prefer they change nothing, or pursue a ton of players to immediately remedy it?
Total nonsense.
Absolutely the latter. No doubt. It’s still a concern though. I’m of the opinion that building via the portal can lead to short term success, but not often.
Bobcats have been getting sustained results because of their generational QB from Butte Montana. You could argue SDSU is the same. We'll see how they fare after the Mellott and Gronowski eras are done. It's tough to just assume they're going to find Payton award winners straight out of high school again. Also don't forget that Chambers was a dropdown from Wyoming. USD hasn't won anything.
Can you chew gum and walk at the same time? The Griz can recruit great HS talent and the transfer portal at the same time. It's not an either/or proposition, it's a both/and proposition. In addition, most of these transfers are not the one and done variety, they have 3 or 4 years of eligibility. So you bring them in like a HS recruit except they've already had one or two years to get used to college life and football, physically mature, and adjust to the speed of college football. Then, you get them into your program at the best time and teach them the Griz way.
Again, I’m not saying to eschew the portal. This isn’t an either/or situation.
Another one that thinks if you just expose your Montana all the girls will come running.
Or maybe this is a one time opportunity for recruiting transfers since FBS schools need to limit rosters due to the House settlement which presents opportunities not seen before and, likely not to be seen again.
I think of what Bobby himself has said on all of this the last few years. With the addition of the portal and how easy it is to transfer all over with no repercussions, he has said multiple times that the new name of the game is to build your very best, most competitive team each Fall. That gone are the days somewhat of a development program where you build and build. Now it’s get the best team you can possibly get for 2025 and start all over in 2026. None of us love it (including him) but he’s not wrong in my opinion.
How many teams in the FCS that have reached the national championship in the last few years have operated under that system? 1?
