It appears difficult to get the actual numbers but according to Coach Grabowski of the Coach & Coordinator Podcast it appears regarding the 2021 transfer portal that 72% have not found a new school which includes a scholarship.
As Sports Illustrated pointed out (their number is 1,500) that “only” 964 of those players were scholarship players.
Whatever the official numbers may, I find it somewhat concerning, there are going to be a large number of scholarship players who took some bad advice or even may have been pushed out by a coaching staff.
It is true that if there are 1,500 kids in the transfer portal there may be 1,500 different reasons that the kid decided to transfer so this is not hating on the kid.
However, the combination of the immediate one-time eligibility for players as well as an ability to “open up scholarships” for coaching staffs appears to make it an easier decision to enter the portal than maybe perhaps it should be.
From an uninformed perspective I think there are a large portion of the players who were highly recruited out of high school and thought that they are still going to be highly recruited when they enter the transfer portal. Somebody is going to take a former four-star quarterback right?
According to 24/7’s ratings there are 10 quarterbacks currently waiting in the portal who had a 4-star rating coming out of high school. For the 2021 “transfer portal class” there have been 21 other 4-star quarterbacks who have found a new home. Thirteen of those 21 quarterbacks will no longer be playing at a power five school. Those 13 are taking a “step down.”
That situation may have worked out exactly how those kids wanted it to happen. Possibly a better chance for playing time. Maybe a better relationship with the next coaching staff. Better culture.
What about Luke McCaffrey? Thoughts were that he could go play for his dad, but his brother took that opportunity. I have been of the opinion that one of Frost’s biggest mistakes in his early tenure was believing they could turn an athlete who played one year of quarterback in high school into a Big Ten quarterback.
McCaffrey might end up proving them right. However, with the underwhelming quarterback play in 2020 it would have been nice to have a more polished quarterback to turn to when Adrian Martinez was struggling.
It could have made the difference in several games, which could have changed the outside perspective of the program. It likely would have changed the inside perspective of the program as well.
Currently, McCaffrey is still looking for his new home. He wants to play quarterback. I have not heard whether he is hearing from schools or if he has options. Possibly he may be waiting until after spring ball where there may be some additional openings.
“Right now, there are a lot of kids in the portal that are not going to find scholarships,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby says. “There may be twice as many people in the portal as there are places to transfer. There will be some who won’t be able to go to college if they don’t get a scholarship.”
This isn’t to say that the transfer portal is bad. I think giving more power to players is good. This may be a learning process for the “student athlete” and the current student athletes are going to get burned as they were tossed into it first.
Who knows, maybe this will all be moot if players can start getting paid. I promise you any contract they sign will likely make it more difficult for them to leave. If Husker Auto Group or a local Applebee’s decided to start sponsoring Wan’Dale Robinson in 2020, they probably would have made sure he stayed in Lincoln.
SPORTS! SPORTS! SPORTS! SPORTS!
Nebraska scholarship breakdown: Questions, players to watch – The Athletic
Making sense of the scholarship count and the Huskers’ remaining needs after the NCAA’s eligibility freeze and ahead of spring ball.
Sources – San Diego Padres, Fernando Tatis Jr. agree on 14-year, $340 million deal
Fernando Tatis Jr., the emerging face of baseball, agreed to a 14-year, $340 million contract extension with the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, securing one of the largest guarantees in American sports history and wedding himself to the team with which he quickly established himself as a star, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN.
Chatelain: The Big Ten exposes its own double standards once again | Husker News | omaha.com
Come 2022, hopefully all is back to normal and we can start pretending again that the Big Ten cares about ALL of its teams.
How the Kevin Durant-Warriors era came to an end — in their own words
It has been 20 months since Kevin Durant last played in the Bay Area, but his final season as a Warrior and the time off because of injury left an eyebrow-raising trail of remarks.
Lincoln Southeast D-lineman excelled with Husker eyes on him
It is not how you would have mapped out the journey. But did he get where he wanted? He most certainly did. The mess of 2020 would not thwart that. Of course … it tried. Sure did.
Lincoln Southeast senior Maddox Burton felt some momentum was building for him early last spring. He was receiving Junior Day invites. Some recruiters were in the high school weight room watching him lift. Things were just starting to happen.
And then they weren’t at all.
The 2021 additions: Secondary talk that isn’t secondary
Bretz, Buford and Williams.
Sounds like a well established law firm. One that specializes in defense.
5 Thoughts on Omaha Creighton Prep at Millard North | Hail Varsity – Nebraska Football, Recruiting, News
Millard North left the door open and Omaha Creighton Prep, led by senior point guard Justin Sitti, stormed through it to pull out a 76-75 win at the Stable on Thursday night.
Nebraska Recruiting: Dead Period Extension Impact Continues to Linger for Prospects | Hail Varsity – Nebraska Football, Recruiting, News
Things are becoming tougher on the class of 2022. We are coming up on a full year of the NCAA-mandated dead period. These rules are in place because we are still in the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has altered life around the globe for well over a year now.
It was announced on Wednesday that the dead period was extended again.
Nebraska baseball is ready for the curveballs of a strange season | Baseball | omaha.com
The Huskers have more depth than in recent memory with multiple seniors returning and fewer players leaving because of a shortened MLB draft.
Steven M. Sipple: Frost faces uphill battle for top in-state prospects; and Roby’s rise in NBA | Column | journalstar.com
Things I know, and things I think I know:
Don’t be surprised if Scott Frost’s program isn’t high on the list of college destinations for the top few in-state players in the class of 2022.
Don’t surprised if there’s some hysteria from the fan base, at least initially.
Two Nebrasketball signees nominated for McDonalds AA Game
A pair of Nebraska basketball signees were among the high school seniors across the country nominated for the 2021 McDonalds All-American Game on Thursday.
Five-star guard Bryce McGowens and four-star forward Wilhelm Breidenbach were both among the nominations announced on Thursday.
“STICK TO SPORTS!” Nah.
Scientists Accidentally Discover Strange Creatures Under a Half Mile of Ice | WIRED
Researchers only drilled through an Antarctic ice shelf to sample sediment. Instead, they found animals that weren’t supposed to be there.
The Best Things I Saw On The Internet This Week
This is a friend of mine who is a science teacher for Omaha Public Schools.
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