We all know that college football has changed forever due to the portal and NIL. We have also seen schools like Ole Miss thrive with the portal and less NIL than we have. Alabama has successfully used the portal but to a lesser extent.
I believe Elko's success will be based on:
1) Evaluating talent and getting quality players out of the portal. A&M is going to lose quality players every year. Everyone needs to get over it. You don't know what's going on in the head of a 20 year old, quit trying to figure it out why he is leaving, there are too many variables. You can't have four 5 star defensive lineman on the team and they all be happy.
2) Managing NIL money. All of you that think A&M has unlimited funds for NIL are naive. We may not be able to pay what Nolan wants, but we might get a starting LB and CB with the same $$$.
3) Continue to recruit well, but recognize you may be getting more "starting" players from the portal in the future than from recruiting.
4) Hire coaches that can adapt easily to new players. It might be troublesome if an offensive or defensive system is too complex for new players to learn.
I hope we show signs of improvement next year. But, I truly believe we are in the middle of a huge change on how a football teams roster is managed. I look forward to seeing Elko manage this new landscape successfully. I think 2025 will be an important year to see if we are trending in the right direction.
I believe Elko's success will be based on:
1) Evaluating talent and getting quality players out of the portal. A&M is going to lose quality players every year. Everyone needs to get over it. You don't know what's going on in the head of a 20 year old, quit trying to figure it out why he is leaving, there are too many variables. You can't have four 5 star defensive lineman on the team and they all be happy.
2) Managing NIL money. All of you that think A&M has unlimited funds for NIL are naive. We may not be able to pay what Nolan wants, but we might get a starting LB and CB with the same $$$.
3) Continue to recruit well, but recognize you may be getting more "starting" players from the portal in the future than from recruiting.
4) Hire coaches that can adapt easily to new players. It might be troublesome if an offensive or defensive system is too complex for new players to learn.
I hope we show signs of improvement next year. But, I truly believe we are in the middle of a huge change on how a football teams roster is managed. I look forward to seeing Elko manage this new landscape successfully. I think 2025 will be an important year to see if we are trending in the right direction.
