Between The Eers: Why So Many FCS Portal Offers?
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - How we doing everybody, Skylar Callan here.
00:11 Between the ears, another episode,
00:13 bringing you some more Transfer Portal talk today.
00:17 Kind of got into it a little bit yesterday,
00:20 about just this time of year, the craziness of it,
00:23 and really about why West Virginia
00:27 is having to rely on the portal for some guys.
00:31 And I kind of wanted to get more deeper into it today,
00:35 because there was a part that I discussed yesterday
00:37 about the Country Roads Trust,
00:39 fans needing to start participating in that if they're able.
00:44 And one of the things that it kind of goes hand in hand with
00:49 one of the questions that I continue to keep getting
00:53 in my Twitter feed is,
00:55 why are there so many FCS offers going out?
00:59 Like there's just this massive outrage
01:03 from fans on social media about Neil Brown,
01:06 this coaching staff, constantly offering guys
01:11 from the FCS level, even some D2 guys in the past.
01:16 They got Noah Massey, who was from Angelo State.
01:19 He didn't factor in at all this year,
01:21 but there have been guys that are
01:25 the non-traditional transfers
01:27 that have come to West Virginia.
01:28 You think of Alonzo Adai, you think of Charles Woods,
01:33 you think of just, there's been a few,
01:38 really, that have kind of made that jump up.
01:42 Even if you go back to the Dana Holgerson days,
01:46 when he brought in Riddick,
01:48 and he played, I think it was Gardner Webb.
01:50 So you're going to have these FCS guys,
01:52 and it's been a part of West Virginia's identity
01:55 for a long, long time, way before Neil even got here.
01:58 And so again, the question is today,
02:01 why are there so many of these FCS guys?
02:05 Or why does it appear to be like they are focusing
02:09 on that level instead of the D1 route,
02:12 or excuse me, the FBS route,
02:15 or even the power, the group of five?
02:18 Here's my thing.
02:20 It goes back again to the Country Roads Trust.
02:24 You have to look at this as an NFL model in some sense.
02:29 There's no salary cap.
02:33 So that's the major difference between the two.
02:35 But in some ways, you are capped,
02:38 because you only have what's available to you,
02:42 be it the trust, be it the MAC,
02:46 and whatever other revenue streams that come in.
02:51 So you can only offer so much money to so many guys.
02:56 And if you're planning on dishing out X amount of dollars
03:00 to a Jaheim White or a Rodney Gallagher, a Trey Latham,
03:05 Sean Martin, Garrett Green, Wyatt Milam,
03:09 those types of players,
03:10 you're only going to have so much money left.
03:13 We're not talking about Georgia here.
03:15 We're not talking about Alabama's payroll
03:17 and what they're going to be able to afford with players.
03:20 When you go to the portal, it's the same thing.
03:23 You can't go and compete with these other schools
03:26 that are going to be throwing six figures at guys
03:29 that don't deserve six figures.
03:32 And I'm not saying that West Virginia isn't totally,
03:35 or is going to totally ignore those types of talents,
03:38 because there's a few here on the transfer portal tracker
03:41 that we have up here on Mountaineers now
03:43 that you would assume, whether they get it or not,
03:47 they're probably valued at six figures, some of them.
03:50 Most of them, I would say probably not.
03:52 And that's the big thing is regardless of this new era
03:59 and regardless of the way talent is brought into the program,
04:04 it doesn't change in terms of the pecking order.
04:08 The bigger schools with the deeper pockets
04:11 are going to go after the guys that they can afford.
04:14 They can afford to throw six figures
04:17 at a guy that may be a third string running back.
04:22 They may be able to throw six figures at a guy
04:25 that is a rotational corner or a rotational pass rusher.
04:29 West Virginia can't do that.
04:31 Now, I don't know the exact numbers that are in the trust.
04:35 Nobody does.
04:37 But I would be very shocked if West Virginia
04:41 would spend six figures on a guy
04:43 that they don't intend on starting.
04:45 So you have to think of it like that.
04:48 It's the same as it was before all this
04:51 when you still have kind of schools
04:55 illegally throwing money out there, number one.
04:57 And number two, the big dogs are going to eat
05:00 more than the little guy.
05:03 And for West Virginia, I actually think,
05:08 believe it or not, this is a good opportunity
05:10 for schools like West Virginia to take that next step
05:13 and kind of close the gap a little bit
05:15 when it comes to some of these players
05:17 that are in the portal with that gap
05:20 that is between them and the big schools.
05:22 West Virginia's fan base is so passionate,
05:28 extremely passionate.
05:29 It is talked about as one of the best fan bases
05:31 in college sports.
05:33 You hear it all the time on broadcast.
05:35 It's nationally respected.
05:39 But this Country Roads Trust, again,
05:42 I go back to this time and time again,
05:44 that thing has to grow.
05:48 It has to get much bigger than what it is.
05:52 There's been a lot of growth in the last year,
05:54 and there's been a ton of growth really over the last week.
05:58 But it's still not in a spot
06:00 where you would expect it to be.
06:02 For as big as this fan base is
06:04 and as passionate as it is,
06:06 if you want West Virginia to go
06:10 and get these Power Five guys,
06:11 they got to have the money to do it.
06:13 They've got to have the money to offer
06:14 because you're allocating so much money
06:18 into keeping some of the talent on your roster.
06:20 You're trying to keep those teams
06:22 that are trying to poach you left and right
06:25 every second you turn around,
06:27 you've got to throw money at the guys
06:28 that are on your roster first and foremost.
06:31 Then you can go and look at the guys in the portal.
06:34 You have to go with what you know,
06:39 and that's you know your roster better than anybody.
06:41 So you have to, first and foremost,
06:44 retain the guys that are going to be
06:46 a big part of this thing moving forward.
06:48 So there has to be money there to use.
06:53 You don't have the money,
06:54 you're going to get what you pay for.
06:56 And I hate to say it like that,
06:57 but it's just the reality.
07:00 And that's not to say you can pay,
07:02 again, a rotational corner
07:06 or maybe even a starting corner from an FCS level.
07:09 There's a few FCS corners that they're looking at.
07:13 And if one of those FCS corners comes to West Virginia,
07:16 he's probably not getting a million dollars,
07:18 he's probably not getting six figures.
07:21 Maybe he is, but that's a hidden gem
07:25 that you're looking for.
07:27 That's what West Virginia has to rely on right now
07:29 with the resources that they have,
07:31 because they can't just throw money around
07:35 like it just grows on trees.
07:38 So that's why I encourage fans
07:42 that if they're able and they are wanting
07:46 to have an opinion on the types of players
07:47 that West Virginia's going after,
07:49 you have to play a part in this.
07:50 This more than ever, do the fans have a part
07:56 in somewhat piecing this roster together or keeping it?
08:00 They've never been able to do that before.
08:03 Now you can.
08:04 You're not going to be able to suggest
08:06 what players they go after,
08:08 but you're going to be able to give them more money,
08:12 give them more access to guys
08:15 that maybe they wouldn't have been able to in years past,
08:18 or maybe even in this portal cycle.
08:19 It's got to get stronger from where it was a year ago,
08:25 which it has, and it's got to get stronger
08:27 within the next two weeks.
08:29 It's got to be a heck of a lot stronger
08:31 because this is a big, big window here
08:33 where you're trying to keep players
08:35 and then get guys from the portal.
08:36 And then after that, you got to build on it
08:38 from now until the spring, because guess what?
08:41 When that spring ball period ends,
08:44 when transfer portal window opens back up,
08:46 you're going to have guys departing.
08:47 You're going to want to add maybe two or three pieces.
08:51 There needs to be some money there to retain and to recruit.
08:56 So to me, first and foremost,
08:58 before you even get into anything else,
09:00 it has to start with having a bigger pot to work with.
09:05 You're not going to go to these power five transfers.
09:09 And I've seen multiple people say,
09:11 oh, they should go get Julian Fleming from Ohio State,
09:14 or they should go get this guy from Notre Dame or whatever.
09:17 Those guys are not even going to want to talk to you
09:20 if you don't have what they want.
09:22 And that's just the brutal honest truth about it.
09:26 You're not going to be able to go to those guys seriously.
09:28 I mean, you can say, hey, we're going to offer you,
09:30 you know, they may make the Twitter post
09:33 for us to be offered by West Virginia and all that stuff,
09:35 but are they really going to listen?
09:37 Are they really going to pay attention
09:39 if they have other opportunities
09:41 where there are six figures,
09:43 maybe seven figure offers on the table?
09:46 No, they'd be crazy to.
09:49 So until that type of money exists in the trust or exists,
09:54 now I guess it would be through the trust
09:59 or just in any NIL opportunity outside of the trust,
10:02 it's going to be hard to get those types of guys.
10:05 And it's not just West Virginia.
10:06 You look at it all across the country.
10:08 Texas Tech, for example,
10:11 they are actually in on one of the same
10:15 defensive back transfers as West Virginia.
10:18 And it's a Canadian guy.
10:19 It's not a D1, D2, D3, JUCO, NAIA guy.
10:22 This is a Canadian transfer from Guelph.
10:27 Probably never heard of it.
10:28 I actually thought it was a D2 school
10:30 before I really did my research.
10:33 I just thought it was another D2 school
10:35 somewhere in the middle of nowhere,
10:36 maybe in Iowa somewhere, sounded right.
10:39 Did my research and what do you know?
10:41 It's in Canada.
10:41 And he took his visit to Texas Tech
10:47 and he'll be visiting West Virginia this weekend.
10:51 And that is Devin Cromwell.
10:52 He's also got offers from Arkansas State,
10:56 Eastern Michigan, Southern Miss,
10:58 and the aforementioned Texas Tech and West Virginia.
11:01 So again, this is what I'm talking about.
11:05 You're going to have to go and find these types of gems
11:07 where really no one's paying attention.
11:10 Do you think Devin Cromwell, all respect to him,
11:13 do you think he's going to get six figures?
11:15 I think not.
11:16 Do you think,
11:17 and I hate to mention these kids by name,
11:23 but I mean, it's just, you know, these other FCS guys,
11:26 do you think they're going to get six figures?
11:28 Probably not.
11:29 Some of these FBS transfers that are Power Five,
11:34 maybe not get that much money either.
11:36 But what Neil Brown and the staff are doing,
11:40 and even Drew Fabianis, the GM,
11:42 you've got to use your money smartly
11:46 because right now you've got a much stronger pool
11:50 to pull from than you did a year ago, like I said,
11:53 but it's still not where you want it to be.
11:54 So you have to take what you have
11:57 and throw it at the best players
11:59 that you have on your roster.
12:01 And then you kind of got to bring in these guys
12:04 that are maybe overlooked under the radar,
12:06 whether it's from the FCS, G5, D2, Canada,
12:09 and throw them a little bit of money,
12:14 but maybe not the six figure route.
12:17 And fans have to understand
12:19 that's what it's going to look like
12:21 until the money is there.
12:23 So that's the big thing, okay?
12:28 That's the number one reason why I think
12:32 you're seeing more than a couple FCS offers going out.
12:37 Secondly, just because they're targeting an FCS guy
12:42 doesn't necessarily mean,
12:44 oh, that guy is going to come in right away
12:46 and he's going to be their starter.
12:47 He's the replacement for Beanie Bishop.
12:50 No, not exactly.
12:52 Some of these guys that they're targeting
12:55 are very particular needs.
12:59 Neil even mentioned it on his press conference
13:02 for the Duke Mayo Bowl on, what, Tuesday?
13:06 And said, you know, look, flat out,
13:09 we need more linebackers.
13:11 And I said that on Monday in my article
13:14 with the biggest transfer needs for West Virginia.
13:16 I said, linebacker.
13:17 People probably thought I was crazy
13:19 because you got Josiah Trotter coming back,
13:21 hopefully healthy.
13:22 You've got Ben Cutter coming off a strong freshman campaign.
13:25 You have Trey Latham, again, hopefully coming back healthy,
13:28 look really good.
13:30 You feel pretty good about those three.
13:32 The problem is the depth.
13:34 The problem is they're all young.
13:36 You need depth there.
13:39 You need experience there.
13:40 You need leadership.
13:41 You have to replace Lee Koba.
13:43 And above all, you need more guys
13:47 that can play special teams
13:49 because those guys are playing way too many snaps.
13:52 Lee Koba playing on special teams.
13:55 I mean, it's great.
13:57 You want your best players to play
13:59 as much special teams as possible.
14:01 But if you can limit that
14:03 and go get a guy in the FCS ranks, it makes sense.
14:07 If he can play linebacker and he can play special teams,
14:10 go on the transfer tracker on Mountaineers Now,
14:12 there's a linebacker from the FCS ranks
14:15 that can be that guy.
14:19 I'm not going to say his name,
14:21 but you can find it on that tracker.
14:24 So there's particular needs that you're looking for.
14:27 And again, just because they're offering an FCS corner
14:31 doesn't mean he's going to start right away.
14:33 Just because they're offering an FCS tight end
14:35 doesn't mean he's going to start.
14:36 Doesn't mean he's going to play a bunch of snaps.
14:39 There's reasons why they go after certain guys.
14:43 If it's a one-year -- if it's a guy that has one year,
14:45 you can expect there's a reason why they're going after him.
14:48 He is being brought into play and making immediate impact,
14:51 be it as a starter on offense or defense or special teams.
14:56 If it's a guy that has three, four years,
15:00 they're probably going to be a guy
15:02 that they're looking to develop.
15:05 It's not going to be someone
15:06 that necessarily comes in and starts.
15:08 It could be.
15:09 More often than not, won't be the case.
15:12 So don't freak out what these FCS offers.
15:16 There are some FBS offers going out.
15:18 We've seen a ton of them.
15:21 No, there's not a ton of Power Five.
15:24 But again, you're talking a lot of these Power Five offers --
15:33 or these Power Five transfers.
15:36 They want the money.
15:38 You have to be smart with your money.
15:40 Again, first and foremost, take care of Jaheim White.
15:43 You take care of Jaheim White, you take care of Trae Lynn Ray,
15:45 you take care of Rodney Gallagher,
15:46 you take care of Trae Latham,
15:48 you take care of those young core guys.
15:51 That's what matters most.
15:54 The guys that you found in high school
15:57 and you have groomed and developed
15:59 and have turned into really good players.
16:01 You can find the gems in the portal
16:04 and maybe bring in one or two big-dollar guys.
16:08 I don't know that they're quite there yet.
16:09 I don't think that West Virginia -- again, I don't know.
16:12 I don't think West Virginia is going to spend a million dollars
16:15 on a single player in this portal.
16:18 I just don't get that sense.
16:20 But you do look at some of these FCS
16:23 and D2 guys that they're offering.
16:26 Some of them have those offers like the Devon Cromwell
16:29 where it's just some other group of five schools and Texas Tech.
16:34 Then you have a guy like Dante Lee, Jr.
16:36 Wider Seaver from Shaw, which is a D2 school,
16:42 has offers from just about most big 10 --
16:47 or, excuse me, most ACC schools.
16:51 Pitt is in the mix, Boston College.
16:54 He's got UCF on there.
16:56 Washington State is on there, NC State.
17:01 And more offers are coming his way.
17:03 He's going to be a popular name in the portal.
17:07 Jomori Macklin, who's a North Texas receiver,
17:10 you could probably just wipe that one from your memory.
17:15 That's probably not happening.
17:19 But, I mean, there's guys on this list.
17:22 Again, if you go onto the tracker,
17:24 there's some impressive guys.
17:26 I encourage you to go look and see who they are.
17:29 If you can find film of them,
17:30 of the ones that they do have film of,
17:32 I encourage you to go watch them.
17:34 There's a reason why West Virginia
17:35 is going after these guys.
17:36 And, again, I would also tell you to trust, too,
17:42 Drew Fabianich.
17:43 This is a guy they didn't have last year.
17:44 This is a person on their staff
17:48 that they did not have to their advantage.
17:50 A lot of schools don't have a GM.
17:53 This is a new thing.
17:54 West Virginia got ahead of the curve,
17:56 and they can use this to their advantage, to their edge.
18:01 This is a guy that spent many years in the NFL
18:03 scouting players, projecting players to what they can be.
18:07 I think if there's anybody you want to trust
18:09 about evaluating not only talent on the roster
18:12 but off of it and in the portal, it's Drew Fabianich.
18:16 I think there's going to be more hits because of it,
18:19 and I think because of a little bit
18:21 of an increased pull in the trust,
18:24 there can be more trust with the retention of the roster.
18:29 So that's kind of my thoughts on the whole FCS thing.
18:35 Don't panic. Don't freak out.
18:36 It's December 6th.
18:38 The portal opened two days ago, okay?
18:41 There's going to be some guys that are going to come in.
18:43 Yes, they may take more FCS guys or D2 guys than Power 5.
18:48 Who knows?
18:49 Trust Drew Fabianich.
18:51 We'll see how this thing all plays out because even last year
18:57 there was a lot of FCS offers going out.
18:58 They still ended up getting some really quality players
19:02 like a Beanie Bishop, like a Cole Taylor.
19:05 So I wouldn't stress too much about it.
19:08 I think the more stress needs to be on whether or not
19:12 they can retain the core of this roster.
19:16 That is a discussion that we had yesterday.
19:23 So I think there's no reason to worry about it,
19:26 but if you want to go and find my more in-depth thoughts on it,
19:29 you can go here onto this YouTube channel
19:31 at Mountaineers Now and find that video.
19:33 You can also find it on Mountaineers Now on our site.
19:36 So we'll wrap it up here for today's show.
19:40 On Between Ears, I'm Skylar Callin.
19:42 Make sure you smash that subscribe button
19:43 on YouTube at Mountaineers Now
19:46 and follow us on X at the same handle.
19:49 I'm Skylar Callin. Thank you guys for watching.
19:51 We'll be back with another episode tomorrow.
19:53 Take care.
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