One of the problems with the Transfer Portal is that when You rely on it Heavily,, You end up with a lot of mismatched parts. Different people from different cultures with different football experiences. Effectively You are now hiring paid mecenaries to come in for a limited time. In many cases they are looking for a place to land and don't have loyalty to your School and program, or they are leaving a program for reasons that aren't apparent. in addition, given the time frames You are dealing with, You may not have the opportunity to do a deep dive into the background and character of the Player. Are there ways to work outside the Portal to replace talent?
1. I've seen Missouri play several times this year. Their star running back is tearing up the SEC. He came to Missouri after playing at an NAIA School. Not sure of why He didn't go D1 out of high school. Maybe too small or a step slow and grew or developed once in College. Maybe We should look there rather than Junior College. You have some good programs here in Indiana that may have some of this talent. Marian, Indianapolis, Hanover, Evansville and Saint Francis here in Fort Wayne are some examples. If You look here you may find an overlooked player Who could fit your system and appreciate the opportunity.
2. If You are as old as I am, You remember the days when Freshmen were ineligible to play and Schools had Fresh man or Junior Varsity Squads for Player Development. Suppose You could form a program like that with walk ons or volunteers. I'm sure that on a Campus the size of IU, you could find 75 underclassmen WEho weren't recruited out of High School but love the game and would appreciate a second chance to show their talent.
You 'wouldn't practice them as much as Your Football team, but if You could assign several grad assistants to run the program. Practice twice a week and have a controlled scrimmage or intrasquad game on the third day. I don't know how this fits under NCAA Rules or whether the costs are reasonable, but if You could identify a dozen kids over a four year cycle Who could play or add depth, it might be worthwhile.
1. I've seen Missouri play several times this year. Their star running back is tearing up the SEC. He came to Missouri after playing at an NAIA School. Not sure of why He didn't go D1 out of high school. Maybe too small or a step slow and grew or developed once in College. Maybe We should look there rather than Junior College. You have some good programs here in Indiana that may have some of this talent. Marian, Indianapolis, Hanover, Evansville and Saint Francis here in Fort Wayne are some examples. If You look here you may find an overlooked player Who could fit your system and appreciate the opportunity.
2. If You are as old as I am, You remember the days when Freshmen were ineligible to play and Schools had Fresh man or Junior Varsity Squads for Player Development. Suppose You could form a program like that with walk ons or volunteers. I'm sure that on a Campus the size of IU, you could find 75 underclassmen WEho weren't recruited out of High School but love the game and would appreciate a second chance to show their talent.
You 'wouldn't practice them as much as Your Football team, but if You could assign several grad assistants to run the program. Practice twice a week and have a controlled scrimmage or intrasquad game on the third day. I don't know how this fits under NCAA Rules or whether the costs are reasonable, but if You could identify a dozen kids over a four year cycle Who could play or add depth, it might be worthwhile.
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