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22-23 Transfer Portal and General Recruiting Catch-All Thread

Brian Howell yesterday. I think it's a little negative, but a pretty fair summary:

"There's no question CU is dramatically better at QB. There's no question that adding Travis Hunter and Cormani McClain is HUGE and gives them talent they didn't have before. Beyond that, I think it's OK to question how big the upgrades are. The OL has only two guys with Power 5 experience and that came here at CU. This roster is filled with a bunch of guys who either a) Excelled at a lower level school or b) were highly touted coming out of high school but didn't play much at their previous Power 5 stop. So, there are a TON of players that still have to prove they can play and excel at this level. I think potential is there, but as of right now, I would consider this - at best - the 7th or 8th best roster in the Pac-12. I don't think it's roster that "should be at least 6-6." I think it's a roster that has some potential to get to 6-6."
 
I don't think that Brian is fully appreciating how valuable elite athletes are. He hasn't seen many at CU and those he's seen weren't pushed and pressured to excel. I see a roster that matches the 2016 group with a future NFL quarterback and depth at every position.
 
I don't think that Brian is fully appreciating how valuable elite athletes are. He hasn't seen many at CU and those he's seen weren't pushed and pressured to excel. I see a roster that matches the 2016 group with a future NFL quarterback and depth at every position.
Like many on 247, I also don’t think he understands how bad the players who left were. 90% of last years starters were G5/FCs/D2 level players that wouldn’t be in the two deep among this current roster. There is no question the upgrade is massive. The only uncertainty is how far the upgrade will take the team in 2023
 
I don't think that Brian is fully appreciating how valuable elite athletes are. He hasn't seen many at CU and those he's seen weren't pushed and pressured to excel. I see a roster that matches the 2016 group with a future NFL quarterback and depth at every position.
I keep remembering a quote from Gary Barnett quite some time ago. Something like 'a lot of guys can play football. the key is to have/develop solid depth everywhere and build around a few true difference makers'.
I always thought you need more than that to win national championships, but always appreciated his insights and that does seem like the recipe to get into the top ~15
 
BH was pretty close to the action last year and probably sees the guys from last year's roster with some sentimentality. That sentiment clouds his judgment IMO.

Like many on 247, I also don’t think he understands how bad the players who left were. 90% of last years starters were G5/FCs/D2 level players that wouldn’t be in the two deep among this current roster. There is no question the upgrade is massive. The only uncertainty is how far the upgrade will take the team in 2023
Yep. He's focusing on lower level stars and elite program backups not having proven they can be plus players as P5 starters. While I think that's fair, I don't think he's ready to admit that the CU roster only had a handful of guys who would have been seeing the field at all for SEC teams or who would have been stars at lower levels.

In terms of Pac-12 roster talent, I think we'll be behind UW, USC, UO for sure and looking up a slight bit at Utah and UCLA in terms of future NFL players and blue chip recruits as a percentage of the 85. So I don't really disagree with him saying that we're probably 6th or 7th in talent. But it's a monumental improvement from last year's 13th.
 
We're definitely going to miss those guys landing at low G5/FCS schools you're right, Brian.

Ignoring you could check PFF & see the grades indicate a pretty universal increase in talent level.
Far be it for me to defend Brian, but I didn't get that at all from what he said. saying there are a ton of guys coming in that don't have proven production at the P5 level seems pretty factual to me. You can have the opinion that since most of those guys were 4* in high school or did well at low levels means we're going to win a ton of games, or take a skeptical wait and see approach to see how many of those guys excel at this level - both seem reasonable to me. I admit it is part of what makes this year extra exciting! but then I'm always an optimist (except the dorrel years where I've been clinically depressed the whole time).
 
Brian Howell yesterday. I think it's a little negative, but a pretty fair summary:

"There's no question CU is dramatically better at QB. There's no question that adding Travis Hunter and Cormani McClain is HUGE and gives them talent they didn't have before. Beyond that, I think it's OK to question how big the upgrades are. The OL has only two guys with Power 5 experience and that came here at CU. This roster is filled with a bunch of guys who either a) Excelled at a lower level school or b) were highly touted coming out of high school but didn't play much at their previous Power 5 stop. So, there are a TON of players that still have to prove they can play and excel at this level. I think potential is there, but as of right now, I would consider this - at best - the 7th or 8th best roster in the Pac-12. I don't think it's roster that "should be at least 6-6." I think it's a roster that has some potential to get to 6-6."
This is what I stated before, and I believe this is a completely reasonable take. No one is saying the players we lost were P5 level or big losses, that’s a straw man. The point is simply that we have no way of knowing what we have at most positions right now. Good or bad. I’m not sure how that take is even controversial.

No one is asking for any of the others players back, aside from MLC, but we might look back a year from now and have a different idea of the caliber of players signed recently. We really have no way of knowing at this point.
 
Far be it for me to defend Brian, but I didn't get that at all from what he said. saying there are a ton of guys coming in that don't have proven production at the P5 level seems pretty factual to me. You can have the opinion that since most of those guys were 4* in high school or did well at low levels means we're going to win a ton of games, or take a skeptical wait and see approach to see how many of those guys excel at this level - both seem reasonable to me. I admit it is part of what makes this year extra exciting! but then I'm always an optimist (except the dorrel years where I've been clinically depressed the whole time).
I'll take guys that weren't good enough to play at Alabama or Florida St consistently over the guys who are leaving with offers from NorthSouthWest Directional School St A&M
 
This is what I stated before, and I believe this is a completely reasonable take. No one is saying the players we lost were P5 level or big losses, that’s a straw man. The point is simply that we have no way of knowing what we have at most positions right now. Good or bad. I’m not sure how that take is even controversial.

No one is asking for any of the others players back, aside from MLC, but we might look back a year from now and have a different idea of the caliber of players signed recently. We really have no way of knowing at this point.
It’s a fine take, publicly. Tempering expectations. But it also doesn’t speak very highly of our coaches and staff. Their records are pretty solid as far as life and football go. Prime has said all along he has a blueprint. We know what we don’t have (everyone who left). So while it’s “OK to question how big the upgrades are,” it’s fairly obvious they are upgrades across the board, and compared to last years’ team, monumental.

What’s also not being discussed in this quote are the coaches, staff, schemes, publicity, energy around the program, etc. which all go toward improving players’ desire and capability to win and work.

Nothing is for sure. Is it fair to publicly say we may only be the 8th best team? Yes. Is it a view you should realistically hold? Not based on coaches mentality and players buying in and the new NFL talent and the fact that Prime doesn’t lose and the realistic expectation that young backup SEC and ACC players are very likely BIG upgrades to the G5/FCS/D2 players that left our program (even if unproven).

Imo.

Unimpressed The Big Lebowski GIF by Working Title
 
I'll take guys that weren't good enough to play at Alabama or Florida St consistently over the guys who are leaving with offers from NorthSouthWest Directional School St A&M
This statement is discounting the fact that CU lost guys to P5 schools:
ASU, UA, UO, FSU, Cal, UCLA, UU, WSU, BYU
and solid G5 programs:
Boise, Houston, SMU
I don't disagree that CU has upgraded the roster and I like the potential/pedigree of a lot of the guys they are bringing in. Simply hindsight, but it seems they could have kept a few more players instead of scrambling after the Spring Portal closure to fill 9 more schollys.
 
This statement is discounting the fact that CU lost guys to P5 schools:
ASU, UA, UO, FSU, Cal, UCLA, UU, WSU, BYU
and solid G5 programs:
Boise, Houston, SMU
I don't disagree that CU has upgraded the roster and I like the potential/pedigree of a lot of the guys they are bringing in. Simply hindsight, but it seems they could have kept a few more players instead of scrambling after the Spring Portal closure to fill 9 more schollys.
What about the other 50+? We saw how a number of those guys played last year - should I be upset over Reed & Moore transferring to Cal & Oregon when they were replaced by 5* guys? Roddick left before Prime was hired, why is he included here? We saw Rodman play here for 4 years...he had an average PFF grade of 49.6. Wiley had an average grade of 51.5 over 3 years.

Where is Prime scrambling post-Spring? Why do we want to keep guys who haven't bought in and were part of a loser culture under Dorrell?
 
This statement is discounting the fact that CU lost guys to P5 schools:
ASU, UA, UO, FSU, Cal, UCLA, UU, WSU, BYU
and solid G5 programs:
Boise, Houston, SMU
I don't disagree that CU has upgraded the roster and I like the potential/pedigree of a lot of the guys they are bringing in. Simply hindsight, but it seems they could have kept a few more players instead of scrambling after the Spring Portal closure to fill 9 more schollys.
I don't think anyone is saying the CU roster was devoid of talent....it wasn't. However, CU did not have P5 competitive players at all 22 positions. Add to that basically no position that did have a P5 caliber starter, was there anything approaching depth.

A simple rhetorical question to ask is: Would you rather see CU roll into this season with last season's roster, or the one CP has built today?

The answer is obvious.
 
Where is Prime scrambling post-Spring? Why do we want to keep guys who haven't bought in and were part of a loser culture under Dorrell?
9 spots, 11 known targets is a scramble if the portal is closed and camp is around the corner. In hindsight, they could have maybe kept a few more that had the will to compete: Smith, Roddick, Tyson specifically. Seriously, how is Gustav still on the roster? There are a few questionable moves.
 
9 spots, 11 known targets is a scramble if the portal is closed and camp is around the corner. In hindsight, they could have maybe kept a few more that had the will to compete: Smith, Roddick, Tyson specifically. Seriously, how is Gustav still on the roster? There are a few questionable moves.
Roddick left before Prime, not a spring loss. Smith? Lol
 
9 spots, 11 known targets is a scramble if the portal is closed and camp is around the corner. In hindsight, they could have maybe kept a few more that had the will to compete: Smith, Roddick, Tyson specifically. Seriously, how is Gustav still on the roster? There are a few questionable moves.
Roddick left before Prime was even hired and Gustav is probably one of the 4 who stayed on academic scholarship.
 
9 spots, 11 known targets is a scramble if the portal is closed and camp is around the corner. In hindsight, they could have maybe kept a few more that had the will to compete: Smith, Roddick, Tyson specifically. Seriously, how is Gustav still on the roster? There are a few questionable moves.
I don't see anything actually supporting your statement that they are scrambling.

Tyson has been injured and left on his own accord, Roddick left well before Prime was hired, and Smith is a JAG at BEST
 
I think it's fair to say that talent wise, we're competing with Utah for 5th in the conference. Obviously, Utah coaches the **** out of their dudes and performs above their recruiting.

I don't think anyone would question that USC, UO, UCLA, and UW are the top 4.
 
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