Eye on the Transfer Portal

MeanGreenTexan · December 3, 2019

Thought it could be useful to have a thread dedicated to watching the Transfer Portal:

The most comprehensive listing I can find is on 247:
https://247sports.com/Season/2020-Football/TransferPortal/

Some guys with connections to current NT players:
https://247sports.com/Player/Deneric-Prince-46041069/ - RB
https://247sports.com/Player/Brian-Johnson-91963/ - S

Cr1028 · December 3, 2019

I’d imagine Syracuse would take a run at the Manuel kids.

Kirk Martin

Edited January 9, 2020 by Cr1028

southsideguy · December 3, 2019

what the heck is going on with Costal Carolina 10 players on the list?

meaniegreenie · December 4, 2019

I don't understand what is the basis for the listing??? Have these players made an announcement? Already graduated?

NorthTexasSportsNetwork · December 4, 2019

3 hours ago, southsideguy said:

what the heck is going on with Costal Carolina 10 players on the list?

Yeah that was really weird. Running out of Myrtle Beach

agw0038 · December 4, 2019

we need to grab that tisdale kid before SMU does

Marty · December 4, 2019

2 hours ago, agw0038 said:

we need to grab that tisdale kid before SMU does

Wag Tag · December 4, 2019

16 hours ago, agw0038 said:

we need to grab that tisdale kid before SMU does

If he wants to back up Bueshle. (?)

El Paso Eagle · December 4, 2019

13 minutes ago, Wag Tag said:

If he wants to back up Bueshle. (?)

Not everyone on the portal is immediately eligible. He might have to sit a year.

agw0038 · December 4, 2019

I guarantee you SMU goes hard after this kid... he is a perfect fit for what they are looking for in a grad transfer QB. An athlete who is used to playing at a high level and grew in an affluent community.

97and03 · January 9, 2020

Should we be interested? Grad transfer DB we offered out of high school.

Harry · January 9, 2020

Just now, 97and03 said:

Should we be interested? Grad transfer DB we offered out of high school.

If he is half as fast as his brother I would think we have to do it just to add his speed.

97and03 · January 23, 2020

Probably both grad transfers

UNTLifer · January 28, 2020

On 12/3/2019 at 9:26 PM, Marty said:

Really hope we are in on Tisdale since he is still out there.

dml7007 · January 28, 2020

Tisdale took his name out from Articles I have seen. Decided the L-Train was a good option.

NorthTexasSportsNetwork · January 30, 2020

On 1/28/2020 at 11:46 AM, UNTLifer said:

Really hope we are in on Tisdale since he is still out there.

It would be nice to "steal" him from that Highland Park team

untjim1995 · January 30, 2020

It still amazes me how SMU pulled off all of these transfers. I know everyone believes it was cash, which is probably true, but seriously, how did puissant SMU pull this off and the rest of us aren't? Did they just realize it all first? Was Dykes just way ahead of the game on all of this?

eulessismore · January 30, 2020

1 hour ago, untjim1995 said:

It still amazes me how SMU pulled off all of these transfers. I know everyone believes it was cash, which is probably true, but seriously, how did puissant SMU pull this off and the rest of us aren't? Did they just realize it all first? Was Dykes just way ahead of the game on all of this?

Yes.

SMUleopold · January 30, 2020

4 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

It still amazes me how SMU pulled off all of these transfers. I know everyone believes it was cash, which is probably true, but seriously, how did puissant SMU pull this off and the rest of us aren't? Did they just realize it all first? Was Dykes just way ahead of the game on all of this?

Everybody has their own take on this, but

I think Dykes realized when Buechele transferred in he had the team to win right then and there. In 2018 SMU was 5-7, had 21 of 25 returning starters, and was a QB away from winning the AAC West, and if you win your division at SMU you have done your job.

So when he landed Buechele he decided to go all in for the next two years, loading up on qualified transfers and getting lucky on a couple others - McBride lettered at Auburn but after the neck injury he was ghosted by 32 other programs before e-mailing us, and Stephens, the CB who covered Rico, was a 3* RB from UCLA who simply asked to walk on and was told "fine, but we need DB's not RB's so that's what you'll have to play." So a couple guys just landed in our lap when they got passed over by everybody else.

We got a little lucky, to be honest.

On 12/3/2019 at 8:16 PM, agw0038 said:

we need to grab that tisdale kid before SMU does

We're good at QB right now, but those DT's from Texas would find the field in a hurry right now.

*EDIT* Grammer

Edited January 30, 2020 by SMUleopold

untjim1995 · January 30, 2020

1 hour ago, SMUleopold said:

Everybody has their own take on this, but

I think Dykes realized when Buechele transferred in he had the team to win right then and there. In 2018 SMU was 5-7, a QB away from winning the AAC West, and if you win you division at SMU you have done your job.

So when he landed Buechele, and had 21 of 25 starters returning from the year before, he decided to go all in for the next two years, loading up on qualified transfers and getting lucky on a couple others - McBride lettered at Auburn but after the neck injury he was ghosted by 32 other programs before e-mailing us, and Stephens, the CB who covered Rico, was a 3* RB from UCLA who simply asked to walk on and was told "fine, but we need DB's not RB's so that's what you'll have to play." We got a little lucky, to be honest.

We're good at QB right now, but those DT's from Texas would fine the field in a hurry right now.

Do you guys have some more transfers coming this fall from the portal?

SMUleopold · January 30, 2020

The coaches have been open about looking at GT's at a couple of different positions, especially RB, DT, LB, and a CB, so I expect a few to come in some way, shape or form - we've also landed a 4* WR JUCO prospect, stealing him from TCU (hell yeah).

But a couple that we landed last year but didn't play are the intriguing ones to me - the OL from Boston College that I think is going to add some depth is a big one, and then my genuine favorite, Kedrick James, the TE who was going to start for Alabama but got kicked off the team for smocking pot. With Proche leaving and an OL that had problems getting a strong push up front this kid could contribute to both issues, making our receiving corps even better this year. He got hurt last year and didn't play - can't wait to take him out of the box.

untjim1995 · January 30, 2020

1 minute ago, SMUleopold said:

The coaches have been open about looking at GT's at a couple of different positions, especially RB, DT, LB, and a CB, so I expect a few to come in some way, shape or form - we've also landed a 4* WR JUCO prospect, stealing him from TCU (hell yeah).

But a couple that we landed last year but didn't play are the intriguing ones to me - the OL from Boston College that I think is going to add some depth is a big one, and then my genuine favorite, Kedrick James, the TE who was going to start for Alabama but got kicked off the team for smocking pot. With Proche leaving and an OL that had problems getting a strong push up front this kid could contribute to both issues, making our receiving corps even better this year. He got hurt last year and didn't play - can't wait to take him out of the box.

I feel like Dykes has really found something that very few G5 programs can do--which is get GTs playing time and come play in Dallas at a school that amazingly still carries cachet in the college football world. Don't get me wrong--I hate your school like yall hate TCU--but last year really opened my eyes to just how much the NATIONAL MEDIA still holds up SMU's program. The damndest thing to me is how that Death Penalty has actually made these media members sympathetic toward yall.

SMUleopold · January 30, 2020

I think Dykes has come up with a common sense approach to using GT's and DFW as a way to attract better talent, going with a simple approach to the players:

Have more than one year left of eligibility
Be from DFW
Fit your teams needs and have little to no disciplinary issues (James, the TE I just mentioned, smoked pot. Peronally, I'm fine with this, call me whatever you want)

Endless amounts of talent disappears under the depth charts in the P5 for no real reason than arbitrary judgement calls - Burrow is a prime example of this at OSU - so there's no reason there can't be a way to find talented players who are decent kids to come home once they graduate. Honestly, there's no reason UNT couldn't clean up, either - this rule change has a chance to really level the playing field.

As far as the DP goes....

after 35 years of sucking, it's time to move on. No reason we shouldn't be able to win and do it cleanly.

Jonnyeagle · January 30, 2020

2 minutes ago, SMUleopold said:

I think Dykes has come up with a common sense approach to using GT's and DFW as a way to attract better talent, going with a simple approach to the players:

Have more than one year left of eligibility

Be from DFW

Fit your teams needs and have little to no disciplinary issues (James, the TE I just mentioned, smoked pot. Peronally, I'm fine with this, call me whatever you want)

Endless amounts of talent disappears under the depth charts in the P5 for no real reason than arbitrary judgement calls - Burrow is a prime example of this at OSU - so there's no reason there can't be a way to find talented players who are decent kids to come home once they graduate. Honestly, there's no reason UNT couldn't clean up, either - this rule change has a chance to really level the playing field.

As far as the DP goes....

after 35 years of sucking, it's time to move on. No reason we shouldn't be able to win and do it cleanly.

As much as I hate to admit it I think you are absolutely correct in your analysis. Dykes is a gem and his rebranding of SMU has been outstanding.

El Paso Eagle · January 30, 2020

1 hour ago, SMUleopold said:

I think Dykes has come up with a common sense approach to using GT's and DFW as a way to attract better talent, going with a simple approach to the players:

Have more than one year left of eligibility

Be from DFW

Fit your teams needs and have little to no disciplinary issues (James, the TE I just mentioned, smoked pot. Peronally, I'm fine with this, call me whatever you want)

Endless amounts of talent disappears under the depth charts in the P5 for no real reason than arbitrary judgement calls - Burrow is a prime example of this at OSU - so there's no reason there can't be a way to find talented players who are decent kids to come home once they graduate. Honestly, there's no reason UNT couldn't clean up, either - this rule change has a chance to really level the playing field.

As far as the DP goes....

after 35 years of sucking, it's time to move on. No reason we shouldn't be able to win and do it cleanly.

Want to give you guys the credit deserved. I am still trying to understand the mid-term result of having so many transfers. I would think, at some point, there will be a numbers game where there are low numbers of scholarships available.