How the transfer portal is changing the calculus
In February, Mel Tucker and Michigan State pulled in what appeared to be a meager recruiting haul. The Spartans, according to 247Sports' composite rankings, signed a class that ranked 10th in the Big Ten and 46th in the country.
Combined with a 2-5 record in his first season, Tucker did not appear to be setting the world aflame.
Less than a year later, Tucker can now afford to set large stacks of bills aflame. The Spartans are ranked 10th in the CFP and headed to the Peach Bowl. Tucker has a new 10-year contract worth $95 million. And a lot of it is thanks to that supposed 46th-ranked recruiting class.
That's because 14 members of that class were transfers able to hit the ground running. And since transfers are leaving their previous programs for a multitude of reasons, it can be impossible to project the impact they'll make upon arrival.
A chance to play catch-up
As action in the transfer portal burgeons more than 2,500 FBS and FCS players entered their names last offseason programs that usually don't have much of a chance on National Signing Day have a chance to play catch-up.
The new Signing Day question
Fans used to focus on 3 primary questions with each incoming signing class.
[ol]
What are we ranked? Which of these players will make an immediate impact on the roster, and who will redshirt? How many games will this signing class end up winning before everyone's gone in 4-5 years? [/ol]Now those questions are joined, and perhaps superseded, by a fourth.
How many of these guys will actually finish their college careers wearing the same uniform?
The answer to that one places a completely different perspective on signing day and how much impact each signing class will actually have.
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/the-transfer-portal-is-changing-everything-about-the-way-football-teams-recruit/
In February, Mel Tucker and Michigan State pulled in what appeared to be a meager recruiting haul. The Spartans, according to 247Sports' composite rankings, signed a class that ranked 10th in the Big Ten and 46th in the country.
Combined with a 2-5 record in his first season, Tucker did not appear to be setting the world aflame.
Less than a year later, Tucker can now afford to set large stacks of bills aflame. The Spartans are ranked 10th in the CFP and headed to the Peach Bowl. Tucker has a new 10-year contract worth $95 million. And a lot of it is thanks to that supposed 46th-ranked recruiting class.
That's because 14 members of that class were transfers able to hit the ground running. And since transfers are leaving their previous programs for a multitude of reasons, it can be impossible to project the impact they'll make upon arrival.
A chance to play catch-up
As action in the transfer portal burgeons more than 2,500 FBS and FCS players entered their names last offseason programs that usually don't have much of a chance on National Signing Day have a chance to play catch-up.
The new Signing Day question
Fans used to focus on 3 primary questions with each incoming signing class.
[ol]
How many of these guys will actually finish their college careers wearing the same uniform?
The answer to that one places a completely different perspective on signing day and how much impact each signing class will actually have.
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/the-transfer-portal-is-changing-everything-about-the-way-football-teams-recruit/