Hopefully Chip pulls in a top 15 class before all is said and done, but in this era of the transfer portal, the transfers we get are just as important if not more (Dante Moore notwithstanding, of course). By my count, we got our 7th yesterday.
I know you keep harping on the transfer portal, but we need BOTH high school recruits and transfers. Also it's a lot harder to get 4 or 5 star transfers, while hopefully chip can pull more top hs recruits.
I just think in this day and age high school recruits are significantly less important unless they are elite. And they are always more risky than transfers. You really don't know for sure what you are going to get, kind of like trading for a "top prospect" in baseball. So, I'd rather not use scholarships on a bunch of 3 star recruits who aren't going to play for several years when we could use those scholarships on guys with 3 years of eligibility left who can step in and contribute right away. I think we should commit to smaller recruiting classes going forward in favor of 10+ transfers each year. Keep in mind, 20% of starts at the FBS level this year were transfers. Transfers are no longer just supposed to fill in the gaps. It's really an old way of thinking.
The beauty of recruiting transfers is you almost always have more tape on them. Most high school recruits are "mis-starred anyway," but once they have a year or two under their belt, you have a much better idea of what you are getting. Anyone think Ethan Garbers really should have been a 4 star recruit? Anyone think Jake Bobo should have been a 3 star? There's just a level of crap shoot for high school recruits, NO MATTER WHO IT IS.
Chip has so far done a fantastic job this off-season with the transfer portal, obtaining a few sure thing starters for next season, including a tremendous OL that should anchor our line.
So I think the best recruiting strategy now a days is to go after the best available from both high school and college, but not to just dish our scholarships to "fill a class" because those spots should be saved for transfers.
Grant Buckey becomes the first recruit to officially become a Bruin this morning.
Gotta love a guy that flips from USC to UCLA, and then is up early to be the first to send his NLI in at 7am.
And he fills a position of need too!
And he is another Bakersfield great to play for UCLA!
Tre Edwards is the second recruit in today.
Luke Duncan is the 3rd new Bruin today.
Hopefully Chip pulls in a top 15 class before all is said and done, but in this era of the transfer portal, the transfers we get are just as important if not more (Dante Moore notwithstanding, of course). By my count, we got our 7th yesterday.
I know you keep harping on the transfer portal, but we need BOTH high school recruits and transfers. Also it's a lot harder to get 4 or 5 star transfers, while hopefully chip can pull more top hs recruits.
I just think in this day and age high school recruits are significantly less important unless they are elite. And they are always more risky than transfers. You really don't know for sure what you are going to get, kind of like trading for a "top prospect" in baseball. So, I'd rather not use scholarships on a bunch of 3 star recruits who aren't going to play for several years when we could use those scholarships on guys with 3 years of eligibility left who can step in and contribute right away. I think we should commit to smaller recruiting classes going forward in favor of 10+ transfers each year. Keep in mind, 20% of starts at the FBS level this year were transfers. Transfers are no longer just supposed to fill in the gaps. It's really an old way of thinking.
The beauty of recruiting transfers is you almost always have more tape on them. Most high school recruits are "mis-starred anyway," but once they have a year or two under their belt, you have a much better idea of what you are getting. Anyone think Ethan Garbers really should have been a 4 star recruit? Anyone think Jake Bobo should have been a 3 star? There's just a level of crap shoot for high school recruits, NO MATTER WHO IT IS.
Chip has so far done a fantastic job this off-season with the transfer portal, obtaining a few sure thing starters for next season, including a tremendous OL that should anchor our line.
So I think the best recruiting strategy now a days is to go after the best available from both high school and college, but not to just dish our scholarships to "fill a class" because those spots should be saved for transfers.
Plus once somebody uses the portal to transfer in, they have to sit out a year if they use the portal again. The HS signees can leave at any time.
The site was down due to a Substack issue, but we're back up now.
What we really need is some players for Defense- all levels, but I think LBs in particular
Really nice that ESPN is featuring on the front page Chip Kelly's successes today
O'Connor hasn't signed yet. Second thoughts or just waiting for the regular signing day?