Will the transfer portal be the great equalizer?

[ProudUte]

We are seeing great players transfer because they want immediate playing time (two of the four starting QBs in the CFP were transfers).

Many players will realize that there can only be one stud QB, etc.  They will leave for greener pastures because it is now so easy to do so.  I was initially against the portal, but this may end up helping Utah.  We lost one 4* QB and now have gained two.

I hope we will eventually see more parity in college football.

 

[UteBacker]

Totally agree…
The other great equalizer is the 9 game conference schedule.

[Trailgoat]

Portal is a game changer for schools like Utah that may not initially attract higher level recruits. Recruiting is a dirty business for some of these schools. A lot of unforseen, unpredicatable variables for these young kids on signing day a combination of coaches feeding them scripted BS and parents caught up in a bunch of unrealistic hype and expectations. Utah football (biased of course) is a parents dream school for their football athlete. High charcter coaches, coaching stability, strong team/family culture, high academic standards/guidance. These kids are building lasting relationships with the understanding of getting an education will pay the bills long after football. Not saying other schools don’t offer the same. When your coach is the Dodd coach of the year. As a parent, that would be a huge recruitment message I would want to hear. Is this coach and culture taking care of my kid. Go Utes!

[EutawStreet]

3 of the starting qbs in the CFP are transfers. Burrow, Fields and Hurts.

[UteThunder]

Probably a net zero situation for us.

We are probably going to pick up a handful of transfers every year, like the two QBs you mentioned, but we are also going to lose guys like Donavan Thompson. How much better would our LB situation have been this year and next had he stuck around? I fully expect at least one of our RBs to transfer this year.

The Blue Bloods and the upper level G5s are the ones who will be most impacted by this. A team like Alabama is going to lose some real star players and teams like Fresno State are going to be elevated by picking up a big difference maker looking for playing time.

[Utesbyfive]

Not while Whittingham is coach, plus the only players who might transfer will be underclassmen. We can recover.

[UteThunder]

Care to expound a bit on this?

[Utesbyfive]

Care to expand on why you think it will be a net zero situation?

[UteThunder]

I kind of already did, but the way I see it, we are going to probably lose as many as we pick up.

Carrington was a huge pickup for us while Saiosi Mariner/Wilson was a big loss for us (given how well he played for USU). Donovan Thompson was a big loss for us while the LB we picked up in his place (Manny Bowen) became a total bust when he quit; thank goodness for Francis Bernard. We lost Tuttle but picked up Rising, both of whom have yet to show how good they will be.

Now, we can argue about whether the players we lose are better than the players we gain or vice versa, but so far it looks like a net zero to me with what we have seen.

[Utesbyfive]

My explanation is that I see how the team under Whitt has a family ethic. I think this will mean some kids who might otherwise transfer, just won’t.

[UteThunder]

Maybe, but we’ll never truly know if that is the case or not. As things stand, we’ve had several players transfer over the last 3 years looking for opportunity inspite of the family culture Whit has built here.

Mariner, Repp, Thompson, Tu’ikolovatu, Tuttle and those are just the ones I can recall off the top of my head. Have there been others?

*EDIT* How could I forget Armand Shyne?! Sure would have been nice to have that guy against USC when Moss got injured instead of having to rely on true freshman Wilmore and sophomore Brumfield.

[EagleMountainUte]

Mariner dropped plenty of balls like he did at Utah. 

Lloyd was better than everyone thought and actually beat out Bowen. The linebackers were fine this season. 

[UteThunder]

How did Lloyd beat out Bowen when Bowen quit the day before Fall Camp started? And even if he had, wouldn’t it have been nice to have the depth Bowen and Thompson would have provided? And wouldn’t it be nice to have Thompson as a senior next year taking over for Bernard alongside Lloyd?

As for Mariner: 63 receptions for 987 yards and 10 TDs, meanwhile our top WRs had 30 catches (Simpkins) 452 yards (Thompson) and 4 TDs (Nacua). Granted, different offenses playing in different conferences but it sure would have been nice to have Mariner in the mix and especially against Oregon while Thompson was out injured.  

[Hellhound152]

The fanbase are the ones to thank for Mariner’s departure, plain and simple.  As far as Thompson goes, he was never going to get more athletic than he was.  The coaches went and got Bowen because they didn’t believe Thompson would be a starting LB at Utah.  

Bringing in Grad transfers for one year, especially if they are expected to provide anything more than depth is a roll of the dice.  Bringing in guys that are 3 to play 3 is really where a team like Utah can really make hay in the portal if you find the right players.  The real question is how damaged they are when they show up.  How a 20 year old kid responds to finding out they can’t get playing time at the school they signed with 2 years after signing as an ESPN top 300 is a crap shoot.

[EagleMountainUte]

Just like how we chased Ludwig off?  Mariner left for some good reasons and it obviously worked out in his favor. He still had drops and my usu friends said he drops passes. 

[Hellhound152]

Apples and Oranges.  One, a grown man, had just lead his offense to the biggest win in program history and went to a P5 in a pre twitter world.  The other, a 21 year old amatuer athlete, was given all of the blame for a loss in the PAC12 championship game.  Don’t know if you spend much time on social media but some “adults” seem to forget these are kids.  You never seem terribly diplomatic about your “personal” issues with certain players from behind the cloak of anonymity.

[EagleMountainUte]

Obviously. 

Plenty of dropped passes all around in that game. His just happened to be the biggest one. I always have blamed Holladay more. He is a good recruiter and I wonder about Harding and him after the bowl game. 

If there is an upgrade to be made somehow getting a recruiter and coaching up the wideouts needs to be done. 

[User Suspended]

Eaglemountain is simply talking out of his a@@ again.

The reality is that the portal will help Utah fill STARTING position needs but will hurt the depth of the team.

Most higher recruited players who signed with Utah did for one main reason… PLAYING TIME.  If they find that that aren’t starting or playing enough…They gone.

 

[PlainsUte]

Well this year it allowed some top-tier teams to “reload” at QB, while otherwise they might have had to rebuild.

[Charlie]

Over the long run, players leaving thru the portal will leave crowded situations to arrive at situations in need. Clearly, over time, we should expect all schools in general to benefit by filling thin spots while giving in crowded spots. Sure, there will be schools that benefit more than average and other schools less than average. But in the big picture, players and schools, I believe, will enjoy an overall benefit.

[EagleMountainUte]

Alleging it as an equalizer is wrong. It is a cream to the top even more so. As someone already pointed out. Hurts, Fields and Burrows  all went to great teams. Some from blue bloods to blue bloods. It will work out for some teams like Utah. But for the most part it will be like when the Patriots pick up an extra piece. 

[gUrthBrooks]

It’s a perfect fit for Utah who is known as a defensive team but can pick up the cream rising to the top to get out of a no playing time situation. Pretty great equalizer for Utah if you ask me. Rising and now the proven passer in Jake Bentley.

[EagleMountainUte]

Not trying to steer it away from the point of transfers too much but very very soon a booster will pay for a player to come to the school. (It does so now very low key and in the dark). So if we had a Phil Knight for example I am sure we can “equalize” the portal in our favor.
Just feel like it is wrong to say equal when college football has never been egalitarian.

Just say you hope Utah can take advantage.

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