2024 Gopher Football is a watershed moment.

[MplsGopher]

Lots of schools between Dallas and us, not so many between Washington and Cali talent.

Yep.

Sorry disco I owe you a response. But this is the key point for the geography bit.

It’s not nearly so simple as just distance. It’s about how many P5 options kids in the “hotbeds” have between their high school (or current school) and us. Out west, Cali kids have the (former) PAC schools as the only realistic options.

The opposite could not be more true for Texas/southern kids to Minnesota.

 

[Dakota2]

Okay, I see what you're saying. Interesting points.

Has the landscape changed? Absolutely. No question.
Will adaptability and flexibility be at a premium? Certainly.

But I'm not sure you're correct about developmental programs.

It may be that a developmental program will continue to develop lower-ranked high school players, as before, but maybe they'll be doing so with the expectation that the players who are the biggest developmental success stories will probably be poached by blue bloods late in their college careers.

On the other side of that coin might be the Quinn Carroll types — highly-ranked high school players who go originally to a helmet school, find disappointment there (for lack of playing time or whatever reason) and then transfer to a highly-regarded developmental program in order to polish their college football resume.

It will be fascinating to see how this all plays out.

Development will be a small part of the program. Lower ranked recruits won't be poached in a couple of years but most will not contribute much here either. There will only be a few -- mostly offensive linemen -- who stay at one school and eventually contribute.

Increasingly, two-deeps will be built from the portal and a first contributing season from a recruit who may not be with you next year. Meaning, you cannot look at a roster today and have much idea who will be on the field in two or three years, as you could back in the development program days.

 

[Dakota2]

I think it's somewhere in-between. It's not nonsense. The portal has changed the game and I think we can all recognize that. But there will still be guys with loyalty to a program or will maybe be late bloomers and be appreciative for the chance. And there will be guys who will stay in a program because they don't want to leave their friends and teammates.

If anything, I think coaching will be more important than ever. You're going to have to do a lot more plug and play a lot more often, but you have to find guys to build a base with too. It's an interesting time.

Coaches will build a very small base with offensive line recruits. They are the best bet to stay five years and develop into contributors. Coaches are not going to have a base that they can look at in January and project a two-deep for the fall, let alone two or three seasons ahead.

Some current head coaches are not going to survive the switch from high school recruiting to portal acquisition. Those who continue to focus on high school recruiting and development, only to watch their best talents leave, will not do well in the new world of college football.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Dakota - I agree with some of what you say. rosters are definitely going to be more fluid.

I think one of the keys will be honesty. coaches will have to be very honest with recruits about their status - and recruits are going to have to be willing to accept honesty. only 22 players get to start each week. some recruits who were big shots in HS are going to wind up on the scout team. If coaches are honest with those players, they have a chance to keep them on the roster.

you're not going to keep all of your players. there will be roster churn. the goal for coaches will be to keep the roster churn manageable. that way, you can use the portal to plug holes - instead of having to use the portal to replace half your roster every season.

and Disco - I think you hit on something. with changing rosters, coaches are going to have to be more flexible. the system or scheme that worked with one roster may not work with the next roster due to turnover, so coaches (IMHO) are going to have to adjust their schemes to the available talent - instead of trying to shove a square peg in a round hole.