143 replies to this topic

[BSLMikeLowe]

Finding anyone in the portal this late in the game will be damn near impossible. Barham and Cowan will likely compete for snaps at SAM in camp, and Shockley may be able to move over from JACK depending on his coverage abilities.

 

The portal tends to warm up once spring practices are over, so some new names are likely to pop up in there over the next month. Barham is obviously talented, but having not even seen him in spring practices (at least he's there for them) it can't be comforting to already have to pencil him in as SAM1. I thought Cowan was a Jack LB and would back up Nchami, but I guess in desperate times they can try to move him over. What else is there? Booker? What a mess.

[BSLChrisStoner]

LB Demeioun Robinson has entered the transfer portal. Massive loss for Maryland, as he was projected to start this season.

Damn that's annoying. 

[BSLZackKiesel]

LB Demeioun Robinson has entered the transfer portal. Massive loss for Maryland, as he was projected to start this season.

Sounds like he’ll be heading to USC, where Caleb Williams has been recruiting him and will be hooking him up with a major NIL deal.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Sounds like he’ll be heading to USC, where Caleb Williams has been recruiting him and will be hooking him up with a major NIL deal.

 

Knew it. MD better get on board the train if they want to compete, and I don't mean just football. Every sport will be impacted.

 

The collectives are where it's at now, and while the schools can't be directly involved with the money/payments, they can facilitate it. To no one's surprise I'm sure, the SEC has been all over this.

[BSLZackKiesel]

Locksley was asked about Robinson today, and said: "The transfer portal giveth and it taketh away. I'm sure we'll enjoy the fruits of the transfer portal during my time here. You never like to see good players go. But these guys have earned the right to do what they want to do...I think the disappointing thing is that they're not always going for the right reason. And I'm not speaking on any specific person when I say that. It makes it a little tougher in the recruiting world. The landscape of the way college football is going, it's free agency...we'll benefit from the transfer portal. We won't just get our stuff taken. We'll be okay."

 

On NIL in general: "In this day and age of NIL and transfer portal, it really challenges the masses of the universities that they support to really show up...the way college football is going, our fans and our supporters are really, really important to our development."

[BSLMikeLowe]

He's right, and alludes to an important point when it comes to outside financial support of MD athletics (at least that's how I read his remarks).

 

They're in decent shape when it comes to the big money donors; but when it comes to the rank-and-file donor base (i.e. people who make small annual donations through avenues like the Terrapin Club) they are badly trailing schools with similar profiles. Especially when you consider they are a large, state flagship school, with over half a million alums, and located in one of the most affluent areas of the country.

 

NIL collectives appear to be where things are headed, where basically every student athlete can get paid through a single fund, similar to the Terrapin Club where that money is used to finance scholarships (though an NIL collective is not directly affiliated with the university). If MD can't get on board with this, then it's not just football players who will go elsewhere; it's lacrosse players, soccer players, field hockey players, and yes, even the beloved basketball program will start to suffer. Under Armour can help here, but even they can only do so much....they're not nearly as big and deep-pocketed as their chief competitors in the space, Nike and adidas.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Now this would just add insult to injury.

 

https://pennstate.ri...on-this-weekend

[BSLZackKiesel]

DL Darrell Jackson, Jr. has entered the transfer portal. Played in every game as a freshman last season. I had projected him to be the second-string 3-technique behind Mosiah Nasili-Kite.

[BSLMikeLowe]

So much for that great defensive-front class of 2021. 4 guys, including the Top 3 in 24x7 rankings, gone after one season.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Just brutal.

2022 is so huge for this program. Coming off the bowl, having your QB and many weapons back...you have to take a step forward.

Not easy losing this defensive depth that you were counting on emerging in their 2nd years.

Locks likes to talk about the portal giveth and taketh. He needs to find a couple of additions.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Just brutal.

2022 is so huge for this program. Coming off the bowl, having your QB and many weapons back...you have to take a step forward.

Not easy losing this defensive depth that you were counting on emerging in their 2nd years.

Locks likes to talk about the portal giveth and taketh. He needs to find a couple of additions.

 

Yep. The good news is the exodus is happening everywhere right now, so there are possibilities being added to the portal every day.

 

On the flip side, I still can't help but think that Locksley's quote in Zack's post from the other day was a cryptic way for him to say he's finding it much more difficult to recruit (and retain) players because the UM community seems to be sitting on the sideline in the NIL game.

[BSLChrisStoner]

See Willard's quotes on the NIL? He doesn't seem excited.

Seems to me you'll need a coordinated effort from Athletic Department and Boosters to be on the side of using to potential benefit vs being used against you.

Just looked at the 247 listing of guys in the portal. Lots of good players at DL, LB, Secondary.

Dont know how many scholarships MD has, but sure hope he is able to get a few.

[BSLMikeLowe]

I don't think any coach is excited about NIL. That's understandable, and since they have to stay an arm's length away from it, they shouldn't be involved anyway.

 

Athletics departments can help facilitate NIL programs, and UM doesn't seem to be doing that, but again, there's limits to how involved they can be.

 

Most of the impetus has to come from outside the school, and is going to succeed more when it's a collective effort as opposed to a few deep-pocketed people. It's just as important that your middle and lower-level donors, who may only give a few thousand or few hundred a year, are engaged. In that area, UM has been lacking for a school its size. I think that's where the underwhelming results of the two revenue programs over the past decade-plus has set them back. It's no big secret that when your revenue sports do well, people open up their wallets.

[BSLZackKiesel]

We briefly touched on it in the latest Talking Terps episode, but there’s only so much money you can squeeze out of Barry Gossett. They basically bled all the donors dry in order to get the basketball performance center built, so I’m not sure how willing or able they’re going to be to put a bunch of money into NIL right now.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Quick LinkedIn search shows 21k business owners from the University of Maryland. Figure out how to increase your donor list.

[BSLMikeLowe]

We briefly touched on it in the latest Talking Terps episode, but there’s only so much money you can squeeze out of Barry Gossett. They basically bled all the donors dry in order to get the basketball performance center built, so I’m not sure how willing or able they’re going to be to put a bunch of money into NIL right now.

 

Right, they've made a huge facilities push lately that's largely funded by a small number of people. That's been UM's story for a long time. The rank-and-file alumni/fans are going to have to step up now, and sustain the effort, if they want to see their teams compete. Though I do think someone like Plank or Gossett would need to get the ball rolling first, by setting up the structure with one of the organizations that help manage these collectives, and a good starting donation. Leaving it to some random dude on GoFundMe, who last I checked had only raised $160, ain't gonna cut it.

[BSLZackKiesel]

Branden Jennings announced he’s transferring to Kansas State.

…and he’s already back in the transfer portal.

[BSLZackKiesel]

LB Demeioun Robinson has entered the transfer portal. Massive loss for Maryland, as he was projected to start this season.

Robinson is headed to Penn State.

[glenn__davis]

Robinson is headed to Penn State.

 

Oh, man.  This really tests my "only hope for the best for college kids" mantra.

[BSLMikeLowe]

…and he’s already back in the transfer portal.

I know talent tends to trump all, but how many coaches out there are going to want to commit to this kid now? He was verbally committed to FSU, then Michigan before signing with MD, then leaves after one season for KSU, and now wants to leave there before spring practice is over. This isn’t a portal rant, I’ve always been pro-freedom of movement and still am. But at some point you just have to make up your damn mind and stick it out.