Inspired by some discussions in other threads, I thought I'd take a look at how programs with limited reliance on the transfer portal are faring this season. Some people seem to have pretty defeatist views about Stanford's prospects in the new NIL/transfer portal era, but I continue to believe (I think with good reason) that a program can compete even if it's not reloading via transfers all the time. Here are current rankings for the teams that have had 16 or fewer incoming transfers the last two seasons combined:
1) Texas
3) Georgia
8) Notre Dame
9) Penn State
11) Iowa State
14) Kansas State
15) Clemson
21) Iowa
35) Virginia Tech
43) Rutgers
49) Maryland
86) Wake Forest
89) Northwestern
94) Stanford
Some of these don't take many transfers because they don't need to (and one because they're holier-than-thou) but even taking those out you have Iowa State, Kansas State, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Maryland, Wake Forest, and Northwestern as being in a similar boat to Stanford. I'd like us to up our transfer game to be a little bit less of an outlier when it comes to availing ourselves of the transfer portal but I am going to assume, absent something major/surprising, that we are going to remain in this category of modest portal usage. Can programs compete without bringing in scads of transfers? Clearly yes. Wake Forest, Northwestern, and Stanford are struggling in this environment (and even then Northwestern was #56 last year), but the majority of the teams in this cohort are respectable and three of them are really good, even alive for the playoff.
Not giving up on Stanford competing. No reason we can't compete on the level of an Iowa State, Kansas State, Iowa, Virginia Tech, etc.
1) Texas
3) Georgia
8) Notre Dame
9) Penn State
11) Iowa State
14) Kansas State
15) Clemson
21) Iowa
35) Virginia Tech
43) Rutgers
49) Maryland
86) Wake Forest
89) Northwestern
94) Stanford
Some of these don't take many transfers because they don't need to (and one because they're holier-than-thou) but even taking those out you have Iowa State, Kansas State, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Maryland, Wake Forest, and Northwestern as being in a similar boat to Stanford. I'd like us to up our transfer game to be a little bit less of an outlier when it comes to availing ourselves of the transfer portal but I am going to assume, absent something major/surprising, that we are going to remain in this category of modest portal usage. Can programs compete without bringing in scads of transfers? Clearly yes. Wake Forest, Northwestern, and Stanford are struggling in this environment (and even then Northwestern was #56 last year), but the majority of the teams in this cohort are respectable and three of them are really good, even alive for the playoff.
Not giving up on Stanford competing. No reason we can't compete on the level of an Iowa State, Kansas State, Iowa, Virginia Tech, etc.
