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The transfer portal is wide open

On3 imageby: Bobby Burton12/06/22BobbyBurton87
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Spencer Sanders (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

We promised chaos with the opening of the transfer portal. And so it was.

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If there was a “surprise” on the day, it wasn’t the sheer volume of players who opted to enter the portal.

Rather, I believe it was an underestimation of the level of talent that would enter the portal combined with the volume and proven production of that talent.

For example, it’s one thing for a single starting quarterback in a conference to enter the portal. It’s another when SEVEN(!?!) starting QBs from a single conference, the ACC, enter the portal (and that number is eight, if you count Notre Dame as a quasi-ACC school).

And that doesn’t even include another starter from the SEC, two from the Big 10 and then a veritable institution like Spencer Sanders from Oklahoma State.

In other words, there aren’t just *some* good players in the portal. There are a LOT.

Quarterback isn’t the only position either.

I bet there are at least 15 (maybe 20) receivers in the portal right now who could crack the top four at Texas almost immediately. There are that many who are not only that talented, but also that productive.

Of course, there are certain positions where numbers are thin. The defensive line is not exactly replete with elite talent. Linebacker doesn’t seem filled with highly productive players as much as young players with bright possibilities.

So what does Texas do?

Well, they need to get their evaluations right first and foremost. And then they need to go on the attack.

The Horns’ first offer was a smart one. Gavin Holmes is a corner from Wake Forest with starting experience. Time will tell if Texas becomes a real factor in his recruitment.

But for a secondary that was pretty much just one-deep all season long, the Horns need numbers and productive players on the back end. After all, we should all remember when Ryan Watts, Anthony Cook and Jerrin Thompson all went down at various times against Oklahoma State and the end result of that.

So here we are. Yesterday was the dawn of a new age of college football in my opinion.

The teams who are best prepared for it and who can manipulate the system the best to their benefit will ultimately be the big winners. Those who don’t are missing a huge opportunity to make their teams better.

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