There is one aspect of the Transfer Portal which often gets overlooked...I am know I am guilty of it...

SOME of these transfers may be head coach driven as in "suggesting" it is okay to move one. With Irving, Whittington and James seemingly cemented as the top three RB's, I could see Lanning telling Cardwell something like, "Going forward it will be tough for you to become a starter again. So it may be time to explore other options."

Fans and coaches love roster depth...players not so much if they are non-starters.

The other recruiting dynamic now in play for head coaches is roster retention which I think along with the Transfer Portal may be as, if not more important, than recruiting high school kids.

DucksReign wrote:

There is one aspect of the Transfer Portal which often gets overlooked...I am know I am guilty of it...

SOME of these transfers may be head coach driven as in "suggesting" it is okay to move one. With Irving, Whittington and James seemingly cemented as the top three RB's, I could see Lanning telling Cardwell something like, "Going forward it will be tough for you to become a starter again. So it may be time to explore other options."

Fans and coaches love roster depth...players not so much if they are non-starters.

The other recruiting dynamic now in play for head coaches is roster retention which I think along with the Transfer Portal may be as, if not more important, than recruiting high school kids.

I think the portal allows some kids to leverage a team for a better NIL deal that keeps them on the roster, and TBH, I guess there's nothing wrong with that. Cardwell was pretty much gone weeks ago. His parents are very active on social media, which I am not but am on a fanboard where I see that stuff, and they have been pushing for PT for him, and then for him to transfer. I do believe however that your scenario of a coach being honest about a kids future PT and suggesting a transfer is also happening.
I wonder just how important recruiting HS kids will become when you can get plug and play kids from the portal. This could have been avoided IMO,but the NCAA is a joke.
 

I hate that Cardwell and Thornton are leaving. I will say that Bucky and Whittington ran the ball well, though, so I grant these coaches some latitude. That said, I think this staff is going to mine that portal hard. We will be strong Lin 2023.