No kidding. People need to chill the eff out. I have said this is a long re-build, which can be sped up a tad through the transfer portal, but long-term, consistent programs are built through high school recruiting and development, not the transfer portal.
He still has it with a few who dare to speak his name. Frankly, will he find a job in fb anywhere? Kearney might be looking for some staff? He might not feel safe anywhere he gets recognized.
Plus if rely on portal too much, you can easily be Michigan State. There is NO foundation if you lean on the portal too much. If you truly want to BUILD culture and a winning foundation, it’s started with recruiting high school kids and develop WITHIN. Unfortunately, this isn’t quick. Those who expect a quick turnaround are either unrealistic, out of touch with what true winning looks like, or willing to sell their soul ( fandom’s soul) to the devil by pulling a Mel Tucker. Now, I am not saying we can’t get bowl eligible… bc we can. I guess it depends on the person’s idea of success
They hit the jackpot with Walker Jr….. a lot of the programs listed above already had foundation. The danger of relying on the portal too heavily is that when you hit, you can hit big and win 11 games…. If you miss, you win 6 games…. Such a crap shoot unless you truly build a program and “supplement “ with the portal. I used MSU as a quick reference, bc they are the ones a lot of people use as an example of how quickly a team can go from horrible to top 10. It worked for a year, but then a hard fall in year 2… not saying they won’t be back in year 3, but there is NO quick fix in culture building and consistent winning
Michigan State brought in 15 transfers (and I thought it was more) in the 2021 class, including their best player in Walker, which helped boost Sparty’s record in 2021 and got Mel Tucker a fat extension. That’s what @HANC was referring to.
I agree with you, but your “years” are off by one year. Tucker’s first season was the 2020 COVID season, and MSU struggled. Tucker went heavy in the 2021 transfer portal, and Sparty overachieved in Tucker’s 2nd season in 2021. But, Michigan State came back to earth in 2022, which was Tucker’s 3rd season in East Lansing.
The portal hasn't been in existence long enough to make a statement about the long term comparison.
I don't think either fit. If Nelson was from any of the other 49 states no one would give a rats butt that he is moving on from the program.
No….I don’t see anyone crying about him leaving, unless we don’t have someone to replace him on the roster.