***Official portal tracker thread***

[BadBoi]

15 plus will be coming today. Calm down. If that does not happen... then PANIC!

Just seeing a lot of optimism on here. I guess I'm not seeing it quite yet.

 

[nhclone]

Seriously though, very few commits across college football so far. 1) It's early, especially out west and 2) nobody in a rush to announce and essentially admit to the tampering we all know happens.

 

[Die4Cy]

I saw a clip of Saben yesterday that made sense, for once, move the portal back to align with school calender, and make the spring practices to align with that, more like the nfl camps.

It's obvious it's the first thing that should happen to ending a lot of this nutso behavior.

 

[1SEIACLONE]

This. All the ******** about the calendar by coaches is caused by the coaches. They want the kids on for spring practice.

Just move the transfer portal back to May. I don’t think you need to move spring practice. It could reduce some transfer turnover with kids knowing they’ll miss spring practice if they choose to transfer.

Of course that also lends to a problem that you’d have kids potentially participating in spring who are planning to transfer, but that is less of a problem than what we have now imo.

Saban point was it would be like the NFL that has a mini camp after the draft, by moving spring practice back after the school year ends. allows the coaches to see the players that they will have in the fall. If you had the spring practice in late May or early June, you not only have better weather in the North, allowing you to get outside more, you could also stop this current trend of getting the high school recruits to come into the school in January and miss their final semester of high school.
Start spring practice June 1st to the 15th, and those kids would be at the university in time to allow the coaches to see them in practice. The players are staying at the school all summer long anyway to take classes and work out so this just makes it easier for everyone.

 

[xr4ticlone]

Our cruise makes a stop in Columbia next week…so if anyone needs something?

If we leave our clothes behind we could probably make enough to get some NIL money. Hmmm

 

[CyLyte2]

Just seeing a lot of optimism on here. I guess I'm not seeing it quite yet.

So your assumption is we're going to have less than 105 players when we take the field in August/September?

 

[AlaCyclone]

Saban point was it would be like the NFL that has a mini camp after the draft, by moving spring practice back after the school year ends. allows the coaches to see the players that they will have in the fall. If you had the spring practice in late May or early June, you not only have better weather in the North, allowing you to get outside more, you could also stop this current trend of getting the high school recruits to come into the school in January and miss their final semester of high school.
Start spring practice June 1st to the 15th, and those kids would be at the university in time to allow the coaches to see them in practice. The players are staying at the school all summer long anyway to take classes and work out so this just makes it easier for everyone.

Plus, Summer School was always fun to me.
Just thought I would throw some University stuff in there w / the football stuff.
/ sarcasm

 

[BCClone]

So your assumption is we're going to have less than 105 players when we take the field in August/September?

With his posting history, he thinks we are going to have players playing both sides because we will only have 50 players and most will come from Dordt.

 

[clonedude]

Idk folks. Not seeing a ton of players following Rogers from WSU. Even the players that followed him from SD St. are staying in Pullman. We have money to spend but 13mil will get used up fast in the transfer portal if you're filling out a full team with it.

It would be a very fun exercise to see what kind of team everyone would put together with $13-$14 million in today's era. Just assuming the numbers that 247 put out about the average cost for all the positions.

Like I said in another post.... just a halfway decent starting offensive line will be a minimum of $3 million I'd guess. Same for a starting defensive line with 4 down linemen probably. So just a starting OL and DL would almost use up half your money.

Everyone loves to say... why wouldn't we pay X player $2 million?? Like Sama for example... many reports say he was getting over a million here, and was one of our more expensive players. Is a RB even worth that.... especially one with Sama's abilities? These are the tough questions Rogers has to deal with folks.

 

[1SEIACLONE]

So your assumption is we're going to have less than 105 players when we take the field in August/September?

I would say its a pretty good guess that ISU will not be at the full 105 limit next season when were have already lost 47 players in the portal and those that are graduating.
What should have been a very good year in 2026 has now turned into a complete rebuild.

 

[nhclone]

It would be a very fun exercise to see what kind of team everyone would put together with $13-$14 million in today's era. Just assuming the numbers that 247 put out about the average cost for all the positions.

Like I said in another post.... just a halfway decent starting offensive line will be a minimum of $3 million I'd guess. Same for a starting defensive line with 4 down linemen probably. So just a starting OL and DL would almost use up half your money.

Everyone loves to say... why wouldn't we pay X player $2 million?? Like Sama for example... many reports say he was getting over a million here, and was one of our more expensive players. Is a RB even worth that.... especially one with Sama's abilities? These are the tough questions Rogers has to deal with folks.

If you use the middle of the average range they showed for all positions, a full starting lineup plus K/P would cost nearly $14 million. I added that up right when i saw the article.

 

[OWLCITYCYFAN]

Sounds like we want his backup- at least from what I am hearing.

QB Evaluations are fascinating. Did anybody watch Ole Miss beat Georgia last night behind the electrifying performance from Redshirt Senior QB Trinidad Chambliss, who spent four years at Division II Ferris State (MI) before transferring to Ole Miss in 2025?
2021 - Redshirted after seeing no game action.
2022 - Appeared in no games as a Redshirt Freshman
2023 - Played in 8 Games with 1 Start
2024 - 16 Starts - Won Division II National Title - 1st Team All-American - Finished 3rd in voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy (= Division II Heisman).

Moral of the Story: There are diamonds out there playing at lower levels! I'd suggest ISU look at the current Ferris State QB, since Ferris State repeated as Division II National Champs and has won four of five.

QB Wyatt Bower - Redshirt Freshman - Won National Title, 42-21
Passing - 10/16 - 177 yard with 2 TD's
Rushing - 5/38 with 3 TD's

 

[flycy]

I read somewhere that Sama was the highest paid player on the team last year due to the K State snow game. The blue bloods came after him hard. If true or even close to true, no way JFR was going to pay him that level.

If any/all of the kids had an inflated value for whatever reason... agent, prior head coach, pissed off coach that didn't get the job stinking up the process....Jimmy is cleaning house. Good for him as he has no other choice.

Should have dumped him last year if that's the case. Maybe the 20th or 30th most valuable player on last years team.

 

[BadBoi]

So your assumption is we're going to have less than 105 players when we take the field in August/September?

It's a long time till then, but at the same time it isn't. CW has said we'll be pulling from a few different schools. Ark St. some Auburn o-Linemen. Just a bad look seeing players not following their coach and take less money.

 

[demoncore1031]

CB Damier Minkah (Shepherd) is one of our first portal offers.

 

[Dandy]

While we're lamenting our situation, Penn State has 25 of their own guys in the portal as well.

And their high school class is rated 118th per 247 composite.

ISU is 61.

 

[joefrog]

Why couldn’t he? He is a QB. Penn State lost Grunk. Manske is a Campbell boy. Pedo State has $30 mil. Rocco starts 2026. Manske next 3 years.

Check your assumptions. You think Penn State is limiting it to just $30 million for this next year? New coach, they pushed out the old one, you think they can't raise a ridiculous amount of money?

I absolutely believe the $2 million figure. Especially with Rocco coming off surgery.

 

[flycy]

@goclones69 i had a parent tell me Rogers is still talking to their kid and others. So you can disagree all you want, but he is talking to some.

I was told he ran them all off and Pollard hates ISU.

 

[BCClone]

I was told he ran them all off and Pollard hates ISU.

I’m sure he did a partial purge, every coach does it. Campbell purged some every year to open up slots for others or get rid of the non loyal ones.

 

[demoncore1031]

DB Amiri Barnes flips from Wazzu to ISU