I have been thinking about the impact of the transfer portal in regards to roster building and culture. Specifically the dangers of taking someone in the transfer portal. It’s always tempting to bring in someone new, especially if the talent is obvious. But there are repercussions. You’re sending the message to your players at that position that you don’t think they are good enough. You are asking these kids to put in the work and be totally committed to the program (“we’re a FAMILY”) and then turning around and showing that you have zero loyalty to them. A lot of times, the team leaders aren’t the best players. You think that those people are going to be happy if you bring someone in that destroys any chance they have of playing? And you’d better hope that you have impeccable intel on the kids you bring in, because there may well be a reason why it didn’t work out with their old team. I think it’s short term gain but painful for the longer term. Think Michigan State. Really curious to see the long term effects on places like Miami that are clearly churning their roster and banking on the transfer portal. I think culture matters, and I’m glad that OSU seems to believe so as well. (I think upfront NIL has a similar impact)
