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FWST: TCU football's approach to the transfer portal shows confidence

TopFrog

TopFrog

Lifelong Frog

Analysis: TCU football's approach to the transfer portal shows confidence​

By Steven Johnson

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The first week of the transfer portal has been a good one for TCU football, as the Horned Frogs addressed most of their needs.

Not only did TCU land multiple players from the portal who should be immediate contributors, the program also re-signed most of its key piecesfrom last year. As it stands, quarterback Josh Hoover is the only full-time starter who has entered the transfer portal from TCU.

Player retention is never going to dominate headlines like player acquisition during college’s version of free agency, but TCU head coach Sonny Dykes has stuck to his vision of wanting the Horned Frogs to be a developmental program.

FWST link: https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/college/big-12/texas-christian-university/article314263411.html

Full article link: https://www.newsbreak.com/fort-wort...roach-to-the-transfer-portal-shows-confidence
 
This Ain't Chopped Liver

This Ain't Chopped Liver

Active Member
I thought this was a good review for me since I don’t follow closely. I hope the focus of retaining and developing has these players developing very well since I will guess that is the best way for The Frogs to compete because it doesn’t appear TCU tops the Big 12 recruiting rankings anymore like they did when they were third behind only Texas and Oklahoma.
 
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Mean Purple

Active Member
This Ain't Chopped Liver said:
I thought this was a good review for me since I don’t follow closely. I hope the focus of retaining and developing has these players developing very well since I will guess that is the best way for The Frogs to compete because it doesn’t appear TCU tops the Big 12 recruiting rankings anymore like they did when they were third behind only Texas and Oklahoma.
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For some perspective, TCU ranks aheads of Indiana this year, last year, and year before (as far as I looked) in recruiting rankings. Coaching does matter.
 
W

Wexahu

Full Member
Mean Purple said:
For some perspective, TCU ranks aheads of Indiana this year, last year, and year before (as far as I looked) in recruiting rankings. Coaching does matter.
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In freshman recruiting, yes. They've brought in about 20 more transfers than we have the past few years. I think part of their success is they've got a bunch of 22-23 year old guys playing, and few other teams do. Other programs will catch on, but that's a big part of the magic formula that they've got right now.

Honestly, I think success in recruiting high school freshman isn't that meaningful anymore.
 
M

Mean Purple

Active Member
Wexahu said:
In freshman recruiting, yes. They've brought in about 20 more transfers than we have the past few years. I think part of their success is they've got a bunch of 22-23 year old guys playing, and few other teams do. Other programs will catch on, but that's a big part of the magic formula that they've got right now.

Honestly, I think success in recruiting high school freshman isn't that meaningful anymore.
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where do you think these older players came from?
 
W

Wexahu

Full Member
Mean Purple said:
where do you think these older players came from?
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Lots of different places. Many came from James Madison. I think Indiana is ahead of the curve in how players are being evaluated, and much of that is valuing age and experience more than most.

Their starting WRs are 22, 22 and 24. RBs are 23 and 24. Starting Safety turns 25 in a couple weeks, NB turns 24 next week. Again, they are really really good but I think if you look at why, this is one of the major reasons. Their HS recruiting is almost irrelevant to their success.
 
West Coast Johnny

West Coast Johnny

Full Member
I agree with the author and I think the coaches are doing a good job on the transfer portal for the following reasons:
1. The team stayed together and we didn't really lose that much except for Hoover so our needs weren't that great.
2. For those grumbling that we are taking a bunch of lower division and G5 players, that's how it works. The top ten percent of G5 players will fit in nicely on power four teams and will provide depth and compete for the starting position. Pretty much in any sport, players are promoted from lower division to upper.
3. Obviously the strategy has been to recruit, develop and retain highschool talent as we took 31 HS recruits last year which was a very large class by recent standards.

As long as the coaches didn't whiff on HS recruiting last year, we should be OK.
 
This Ain't Chopped Liver

This Ain't Chopped Liver

Active Member
Wexahu said:
In freshman recruiting, yes. They've brought in about 20 more transfers than we have the past few years. I think part of their success is they've got a bunch of 22-23 year old guys playing, and few other teams do. Other programs will catch on, but that's a big part of the magic formula that they've got right now.

Honestly, I think success in recruiting high school freshman isn't that meaningful anymore.
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That might be a good take. This new transfer era has most still gasping. Cignetti success story appears like fantasy. How can he be that much better than all the rest that have busted their butts - nonsensical. Some perfect storm having much to do with player age, chemistry/leaders and great QB play. Cignetti's new voice having great influence on this, but we will see what happens next year.

A nitpick, because my mom disliked the unnecessary use of “got,” - a misused ugly word. In this post and your previous one, you stated, “they’ve got” instead of simply “they have.”
 
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M

Mean Purple

Active Member
Wexahu said:
Lots of different places. Many came from James Madison. I think Indiana is ahead of the curve in how players are being evaluated, and much of that is valuing age and experience more than most.

Their starting WRs are 22, 22 and 24. RBs are 23 and 24. Starting Safety turns 25 in a couple weeks, NB turns 24 next week. Again, they are really really good but I think if you look at why, this is one of the major reasons. Their HS recruiting is almost irrelevant to their success.
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you don't get the concept of player development.
 
TopFrog

TopFrog

Lifelong Frog
This Ain't Chopped Liver said:
A nitpick, because my mom disliked the unnecessary use of “got,” - a misused ugly word. In this post and your previous one, you stated, “they’ve got” instead of simply “they have.”
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However, "You got that" is concise, just three words and three syllables, as opposed to "Do you have that" which adds a word and a syllable.
 
M

Mean Purple

Active Member
BrewingFrog said:
The old wisdom of O.A. Phillips springs to mind: "That man is a Football Coach. He can take his'n and beat your'n, and take your'n and beat his'n."
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"If a dog is gonna bite, he'll do it as a pup" - John Cooper
Player evaluation of incoming Freshmen and where they fit in your program will always be the biggest part of building a program.
 
KillerFrog InD KitchenSink

KillerFrog InD KitchenSink

Active Member
There are advantages to filling holes with the portal, but also advantages to guys staying in a system for 4+ years. Has to be a mix. All things equal, I'd rather be returnee heavy than portal heavy. It means we think we have had good recent classes that we expect to be contributors. Plus easier to know what you have with a player after 1 or 2 years of practice and game time than a few hours of film. Sonny is zigging a bit here, while others zag. I like it.
 

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