Portal closed Posbang!
February 24th, 2024 at 10:25 AM ^
That's him!
February 24th, 2024 at 1:04 PM ^
That's a pretty direct copy of the legendary photo of Len Dawson enjoying a smoke and a Fresca during the halftime of the first Super Bowl in 1967.
February 24th, 2024 at 1:28 PM ^
A Fresca? That shit is poison--you'll ruin your body, Len!
February 24th, 2024 at 2:26 PM ^
Len looks like Kelly Leak there.
February 24th, 2024 at 8:55 AM ^
Well... it opens again in less than two months. It's not like guys *needed* to declare now if they want to go somewhere else for next year. They at least get a chance to see where they stack up during spring ball this way.
February 24th, 2024 at 9:01 AM ^
they needed to declare now if they wanted to optimize their chances to play significant snaps in 2024. Missing all of spring ball is a big disadvantage to an incoming transfer
February 24th, 2024 at 9:07 AM ^
The guys we desperately want to keep would not be benched because they missed spring ball.
February 24th, 2024 at 9:09 AM ^
But they wouldn't have been able to enroll to play spring ball, would they? They couldn't practice if they weren't enrolled at the university, right? Or am I just being naive?
Honest question, not snark intended.
February 24th, 2024 at 9:14 AM ^
Sabb is enrolled at Bama and taking classes and will practice with them in the spring.
The thought had been this was a tough time to transfer academically in the middle of a semester. But we're one of the few schools that would care.
February 24th, 2024 at 9:20 AM ^
That's pretty messed up. I don't see how they could get caught up after missing > 1 month of classes. Unless he's taking asynchronous online classes, and can just watch recorded lectures of the material. 🤷♂️
February 24th, 2024 at 9:37 AM ^
Alabama has a semester they call "Spring 2" which begins early March, and I'm convinced it was only created for athletics, because what normal student takes a break from end of December-February?
February 24th, 2024 at 9:22 AM ^
He's taking classes at Alabama ;-)
February 24th, 2024 at 9:53 AM ^
Josh Wallace was a spring transfer, wasn't he?
February 24th, 2024 at 9:12 AM ^
Yes but as we were currently the only school teams could poach from currently, we will at least be in the same boat as everyone else in spring
February 24th, 2024 at 9:13 AM ^
Yes, but the spring portal is equal footing for everyone. The last 30 days has been open hunting season on Michigan players!
February 24th, 2024 at 3:29 PM ^
Sure, we'll probably lose some guys in spring due to usual attrition, but the if the big fish like Johnson, Graham, Grant, etc. were gonna get a bag and go somewhere else, I think they would've left by now
February 24th, 2024 at 8:57 AM ^
Cool. So we’ll know in a couple days if anyone entered over the weekend.
February 24th, 2024 at 9:01 AM ^
The cake is a lie!
February 24th, 2024 at 9:09 AM ^
Here's been my expectation journey.
Moore is named HC, I think everyone is staying.
Entire defensive staff leaves, I think everyone is leaving.
Entire defensive staff is replaced, I think everyone is staying.
Sabb leaves, I am sad. I feel like this is the only price we have to pay.
Portal closes, I still think we're good to go when the portal reopens.
February 24th, 2024 at 9:11 AM ^
Let's pour one out for all those Buckeye insiders who said our roster was getting raided and thank the heavens for the bookmark feature on Twitter
February 24th, 2024 at 9:15 AM ^
They can take some solace in that they probably indirectly caused the Sabb transfer. It's the Texas folks that are really vexed.
February 24th, 2024 at 9:17 AM ^
Remember when players had to wait a year to play? There is zero consequences to transferring for a player.
February 24th, 2024 at 9:20 AM ^
Just like there are zero consequences for the coaches that recruit them when they leave.
February 24th, 2024 at 9:44 AM ^
UNLESS they buy said player a cheeseburger…
February 24th, 2024 at 11:21 PM ^
All of this is true, but in theory the players are also amateurs and enrolled students while the coaches are and always have been acknowledged as professional coaches. If something isn’t done to put some guardrails around contractual obligations that players must fulfill to their program/university then college football will become a completely professional game and will lose a lot of the interest from the traditional fan base. My interest is quickly fading as the game becomes filled with mercenaries. If neither coaches nor players give a damn about the places that they supposedly represent, then why should the fans?
February 25th, 2024 at 11:00 AM ^
The fact that players are amateurs and enrolled students is actually the very reason they should have more freedom to leave if they want… the same way other enrolled students are allowed to transfer colleges if they want.
If something isn’t done to put some guardrails around contractual obligations that players must fulfill to their program/university
That would mean making them professional athletes. Classifying them as employees, giving them a salary and employment contracts.
February 24th, 2024 at 10:03 AM ^
Nor are there consequences when a regular student transfers or when a coach takes a new job. Why should it be any different for student-athletes?
February 24th, 2024 at 10:03 AM ^
Which is fair and awesome for them.
February 24th, 2024 at 11:45 AM ^
There is zero consequences to transferring for a player.
And?
February 24th, 2024 at 9:24 AM ^
Time to tamper the shit out of other teams. Figuratively, of course.
February 24th, 2024 at 3:32 PM ^
No, literally. It is legal now.
Fuck 'em all. Have a tampering negotiation right in the middle of Times Square, broadcasted on Fox Sports.
February 24th, 2024 at 3:40 PM ^
Or during the spring game...make it a half-time show with NIL sponsors...this QB tampering is brought to you by Zimmerman's and come with a $weeet Bag of hard cold ca$h.
February 24th, 2024 at 9:29 AM ^
Does this mean all the negative Nancy’s will come out and acknowledge they were wrong? All we heard the past 30 days is how much of a disaster this transition was, and how every defensive player was going to leave…
February 24th, 2024 at 9:41 AM ^
Well, as one of the Negative Nancies who already posted about this above, I hope that will go some way to satisfy your told-you-so bloodlust.
I think it's worth noting that a lot of the negativity was more about issuing a word of caution against the Pollyanna drumbeat that "no one had left therefore no one is leaving" before we even had hired a single defensive coach.
I didn't read the 500 posts about Sabb leaving, so maybe there was a bunch of "told you so the sky is falling" posts in there.
February 24th, 2024 at 11:55 AM ^
This board has a surfeit of Chicken Littles who believe they are Cassandra.
p.s. I’m not saying you’re one of them, Henson, just noting that Los Barcos ain’t wrong in having seen ubiquitous negativity of late.
February 24th, 2024 at 11:50 AM ^
It's possible to simultaneously believe that 1) Warde Manuel is a poor AD who alienated Jim Harbaugh and didn't adequately prepare for the transition and 2) Sherrone Moore is a good coach who's done a fine job under the circumstances.
February 24th, 2024 at 1:19 PM ^
What do you base the latter half of point 1 on? Seems we have a really good staff hired and very little player attrition.
February 24th, 2024 at 3:54 PM ^
Moore deserves the credit for those. I don't think the players are staying because of Warde. Hell, he didn't even go to the football banquet in December.
February 24th, 2024 at 9:33 AM ^
To lose so few to the portal is remarkable.
Stay Blue! Go Blue!
February 24th, 2024 at 9:42 AM ^
Moores first huge win as the official HC of The University of Michigan.
February 24th, 2024 at 9:45 AM ^
I’m sorry but I entered the portal at 11:59. I’m looking at other message board offers. No further comment at this time.
February 24th, 2024 at 10:07 AM ^
Darn, and you are at a great position of need. We can’t be losing superstars like you.
February 24th, 2024 at 10:21 AM ^
I heard from the edge of the internet you're going to the edge of the internet.
February 24th, 2024 at 9:54 AM ^
Fortunately, Captain Kirk and Mr Spock made it back through the portal just in time.
February 24th, 2024 at 11:09 AM ^
Joan Collins getting hit by a Sabb avoided a darker timeline where Urban and Saban are still coaching.
February 24th, 2024 at 3:56 PM ^
Murderers! Assassins!!
February 24th, 2024 at 10:11 AM ^
I need another depth chart.
And some swim lanes.