The Portal Thread

[Hawkinole]

Jeslord Boateng and Rocky Lombardi join him.  Lombardi was obvious.  

In what program, or type of program, could Lombardi land? I have a feeling he has some tools, but I didn't see them.

[Benthere2]

where will players go that are not picked up?  D2 D3?

[FearlessF]

good luck to them, but it's obvious that most should stay with their current team

[bayareabadger]

where will players go that are not picked up?  D2 D3?

Same places they've always gone.

Kids move down all the time, or they quit and don't return. This might make them think it's a shinier prospect, but in the end, it's long been part of the deal.

[ELA]

In what program, or type of program, could Lombardi land? I have a feeling he has some tools, but I didn't see them.

Someone pointed out that they aren't sure how transferring down helps him.  He has a cannon, and his deep ball got better this year, but the accuracy on his short stuff is abysmal.  Lack of arm strength, lack of athleticism, can be covered up against G5/P5 opponents, but if you can't hit your slants or crossing routes, and are so dependent on your deep ball, that has sort of the same hit/fail rate anywhere.

[ELA]

Same places they've always gone.

Kids move down all the time, or they quit and don't return. This might make them think it's a shinier prospect, but in the end, it's long been part of the deal.

Yeah, MSU had a walk on backup long snapper "enter the portal".  That's one of those that always happened, and if anything was only noticed by a beat writer doing a deep dive into the spring roster.  Now it's a whole thing.

[ELA]

MSU CB Chris Jackson, who started a game, and looked ok, but left the team in November to return home to Georgia, is in the portal, as expected.

[FearlessF]

Offensive lineman Boe Wilson has entered the NCAA portal as a graduate transfer.

[bayareabadger]

Yeah, MSU had a walk on backup long snapper "enter the portal".  That's one of those that always happened, and if anything was only noticed by a beat writer doing a deep dive into the spring roster.  Now it's a whole thing.

I'm sure there are some kids who throw a name in rather than cycle through as someone who doesn't play or rarely plays. This got me thinking about the class that came in with me in college. They had mildly better retention than I thought. Bad QB. 

Also, the Wisconsin coaching mafia runs so damn deep. I was looking for kids I though might have left early as transfers or dropouts. Two kids who I thought would be candidates (one done in by injury, the other thrown off the team) ended up a Purdue assistant and a 9-year NFL assistant, a position coach for the past four. 

[FearlessF]

Maryland football has its first incoming transfer of the offseason, Former Nebraska wide receiver Marcus Fleming is a Terp. Fleming, a former four-star recruit from Florida, announced his commitment -- first reported last week by InsideMDsports -- today on Twitter.

A Miami native who was ranked the No. 44 receiver and No. 259 player in the country last year, Fleming is another piece in Maryland's deep and talented wide receiver room and another score for Maryland defensive line coach Brian Williams, who's been on a recruiting tear this winter.

The 5-10, 170-pound Fleming led Nebraska with 75 yards on five catches against Northwestern on Nov. 7, but didn't play again for unspecified reasons, eventually becoming one of five Floridians from Scott Frosts's 2020 recruiting class to leave the program. Maryland had recruited him out of high school as well.

[ELA]

Landed at Akron

[MaximumSam]

Wiscy RB Nakia Watson hitting the portal

[bayareabadger]

Wiscy RB Nakia Watson hitting the portal

Well-rated recruit, stunningly good at running into the backs of linemen.

[847badgerfan]

Saw that one coming a mile away. Not coachable. When Berger and Groschek passed him up, it was over. Plus, 3 TB recruits coming in this year.