'25 Portal Thread

[dmwvol12]

So far some of the best pieces we've had on offense, were recruited by View attachment 715642

That’s actually true. let’s change that in 2025. I honestly had never even thought about that.

 

[BigorangeBoy]

dont think so


there were some of those out there early and we let them go elsewhere while we napped.

Plus we were stuffed in a locker with no cell phone access

 

[Weezer]

@TrippieRedd

I'll be interested to see how Bothwell does at Miss State considering their offense is similar to ours.

 

[Dadof2Vols]

If we don’t, I’mma @ whoever started the splash player thing.

They shall get **** everyday for the next 365.

Yea, Lets run off 2 or 3 more providing info so we can continue to get pages of useless banter everyday on threads dedicated to news.

 

[TrippieRedd]

Yea, Lets run off 2 or 3 more providing info so we can continue to get pages of useless banter everyday on threads dedicated to news.

I forgot the blue font

 

[Jimmy Football]

@TrippieRedd

I'll be interested to see how Bothwell does at Miss State considering their offense is similar to ours.

Yeah, I think when it comes to ours and MSU’s offenses, he could play both well.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Well, at least we will know if it’s Tate or not in the next few days.

You aren’t seriously thinking it’s gonna be Tate are you?

 

[85SugarVol]

Publicly? Not any good ones. But this isn’t a public comment. This is a report from an insider (LWS) about the way Heupel feels about his roster. Two totally different things.

Where did LWS weigh in on Heup’s thoughts on the roster? Can you link it?

Not that I would expect any coach to say they didn’t like their roster.

 

[GVol1966]

in all honesty, what college coach is going to say they don't like their rosters?

Jeremy Pruitt

 

[deatojl]

Jeremy Pruitt

Deion Sanders

 

[Carp]

I said corn bread recruited them.

huepel is the man. but recruiting has to get better, and is.

Again, Huep's first class (rated 23rd on 247) just finished their junior year. Most teams simply won't see much production from a recruiting class until their junior year (if those players are still on the roster). Unfortunately, thanks to the transfer portal, you can probably expect 30-40% of any class to be in the portal before their Jr. season.

 

[Jackcrevol]

Again, Huep's first class (rated 23rd on 247) just finished their junior year. Most teams simply won't see much production from a recruiting class until their junior year (if those players are still on the roster). Unfortunately, thanks to the transfer portal, you can probably expect 30-40% of any class to be in the portal before their Jr. season.

Again, if we were successful in closing higher rated guys, esp at skill positions and OL, losing said 30% wouldnt be as hard a pill to swaller. Doug Utu is a great example.

 

[NighthawkVol]

Where did LWS weigh in on Heup’s thoughts on the roster? Can you link it?

Not that I would expect any coach to say they didn’t like their roster.

There’s a pinned roster thread on the football forum. It’s in there.

 

[Carp]

Again, if we were successful in closing higher rated guys, esp at skill positions and OL, losing said 30% wouldnt be as hard a pill to swaller. Doug Utu is a great example.

IMO, we've done well at closing offensive skill positions. We've taken top 100 overall Wrs in each of the last 3 classes. Davis and Brame were highly rated TEs. Sampson was a 4 star and was great for us and Lewis appears to be another stud in the making. I'll give you that we haven't closed elite OL or developed lower rated OL very well, but OL tends to be a position for every program where very few players have starting roles before their Jr. year. If Umarov and Reddick both aren't in the 2 deep this season (honestly, Umarov should be starting) then something is definitely wrong here.

The main problem is that we're finding it tough to retain players who aren't getting consistent reps before their Jr. season. But pretty much every single school is having the same issue.

 

[Jackcrevol]

There’s a pinned roster thread on the football forum. It’s in there

"gonna take quite a while to get to top 4 in the CFP from a talent standpoint. Gotta recruit top 5 classes for 3 or 4 years to match up. and retain them. Those teams are very selective with the portal and only take elite type players but their core roster is from recruiting top 5 classes."

"Huep likes his roster. He is being extremely selective in looking at portal players and only going after fits and needs. I know that what he feels are needs is much different than what many fans see as needs."


@LWSVOL @NighthawkVol

Apologies Larry, dont know how to quote without copy & paste.

 

[bpalmer28]

in all honesty, what college coach is going to say they don't like their rosters?

Jeremy Pruitt

Deion Sanders

Lane Kiffin

 

[bpalmer28]

Again, if we were successful in closing higher rated guys, esp at skill positions and OL, losing said 30% wouldnt be as hard a pill to swaller. Doug Utu is a great example.

Imagine if we had Uto, Seaton, and Mauigoa returning

 

[LouderVol]

Imagine if we had Uto, Seaton, and Mauigoa returning

so our coaches failed because three different schools got three different players, three different years?

 

[NighthawkVol]

Imagine if we had Uto, Seaton, and Mauigoa returning

Utu wouldn’t be returning. He’d be an incoming freshman, like David Sanders.

 

[DaddyChad]

so our coaches failed because three different schools got three different players, three different years?

I mean I don’t really fault the coaches on those but failure is failure. You can fail bc of incompetence underperformance or simply bc of an unlevel playing field.

 

[Carp]

Seaton isn't anyone's fault. He strung everyone along.

 

[deatojl]

IMO, we've done well at closing offensive skill positions. We've taken top 100 overall Wrs in each of the last 3 classes. Davis and Brame were highly rated TEs. Sampson was a 4 star and was great for us and Lewis appears to be another stud in the making. I'll give you that we haven't closed elite OL or developed lower rated OL very well, but OL tends to be a position for every program where very few players have starting roles before their Jr. year. If Umarov are Reddick both aren't in the 2 deep this season (honestly, Umarov should be starting) then something is definitely wrong here.

The main problem is that we're finding it tough to retain players who aren't getting consistent reps before their Jr. season. But pretty much every single school is having the same issue.

I agree with most of this. However, in regard to OL recruiting, we have 5* David Sanders and 4* Nic Moore in this class, 4* Bennett Warren, 4* Max Anderson and 4* William Satterwhite in the 2024 class, 4* Sham Umarov in the 2023 class, and 4* Addison Nichols in the 2022 class. You can certainly debate the accuracy of their ratings and the amount of development they have had since arriving, with Nichols no longer here, but we have landed several blue chip rated OL through HS recruiting. It seems the farther we move away from the sanctions, the more blue chip guys we are signing as well.

 

[Jackcrevol]

Seaton isn't anyone's fault. He strung everyone along.

I dont consider that a loss, per se.

Stanton Ramil, was a loss. The G that went to GA Tech, the Georgia Tackle, lots of skill folks to OSU, Georgia, Florida. Too many to name.

On opposite side. What we've done and are doing in NC is elite. Getting Isiah Campbell was huge. That should NEVER be underestimated how important that is. Banks was in NC this week, it is loaded in '26.

#1 QB and player in '26. Now, how do they capitalize? IYAM, getting that second 5 star to jump in is turning the corner. Tristan Keys is an elite, game changing, field stretching WR. This staff has to shake the 2nd 5 star monkey off its backs. LOL, Huep need a be all...

 

[LouderVol]

I mean I don’t really fault the coaches on those but failure is failure. You can fail bc of incompetence underperformance or simply bc of an unlevel playing field.

I don't consider that failure. its not like you can really compare recruiting to what people do at a job. its impossible to know why any of those kids made the decision they did. we make assumptions, but its still just guesses.

 

[DaddyChad]

I don't consider that failure. its not like you can really compare recruiting to what people do at a job. its impossible to know why any of those kids made the decision they did. we make assumptions, but its still just guesses.

I’ll have to disagree there. If you can’t grade on some kind of scale then you have no method of measurement. I think Heupel and company have recruited up to this point on the level of a few previous coaches but are starting to trend upwards; I also acknowledge Heupel and staff have had way more obstacles than previous staffs.

I feel like mostly we’ve recruited on a better level and developed on a better level than previous staffs. I do think going forwards we need to do better recruiting as some of the obstacles have diminished during Heupel’s time here.