I know there’s another thread already started about individuals that put their name into the portal that may or may not interest the Jayhawks, but this thread is more geared towards Kansas strategy concerning the portal.
Listened to JK on 810 this morning and he once again spoke to Kansas need for not only balancing out the class sizes, but a infusion of talent from both the portal and junior college ranks.
I don’t think anyone at this juncture can argue Kansas needs to find talent no matter where it’s coming from. It wasn’t all that long ago where most everyone on here agreed KU had to stick to high school recruiting. The JUCO route wasn’t working to our advantage. Oh how times have changed so quickly.
Because of nearly 60 freshman/sophomore players going into next season on roster, Kansas desperately needs more maturity and experience on this roster. Not only to balance out the classes, but get bigger, stronger, faster players in here that don’t have the Kansas taint on them.
I’m all for trying to get the best local and regional talent in here from the high school ranks. That’s going to be as important now as it has ever been, but if Kansas is going to be competitive within the next couple years they’re going to have to go out and get someone else’s talent to Lawrence.
Case in point, Erik Gilyard from UCF. That kid would be a difference maker. That kid would make Kansas considerably better at a position that’s desperately needs big 12 talent. Kansas is going to need at least 8-10 bodies from either the portal or juco ranks to plug into key positions. We just can’t rely on the guys we have currently on roster. Most of them will have to be developed and shouldn’t be counted on until they were upperclassman anyways. Vast majority of programs KU faces are playing junior, season, and sometimes 5th year players. Kansas is at a severe disadvantage continually playing our young, undeveloped players.
Lastly, I look at programs like SMU and Michigan State. They did a masterful job of going out and using the transfer portal to reshape their roster this season. Go look at SMU and see how many guys they had transfer in from Georgia or Oklahoma. Guys that were four-star out of high school. Guys with obvious talent advantages. Most of them were just looking for a opportunity to showcase their talents. Oklahoma or Georgia could have a second or third string DT that would be better than anything Kansas has at that position.
So this is what I’m advocating. Keep working the local high school ranks. Keep that as your bread and butter, but if half of our recruiting classes are from the transfer portal, so be it. If there’s one program in this country that is in total need for a complete rehaul it’s Kansas. Don’t look at it as a chemistry killer, but as an opportunity to get real dudes in here who have been groomed by legitimate coaches and strength staffs. Nobody should be using the transfer portal like Kansas. No reason to see schools like SMU and Michigan State take advantage and not Kansas. Make Kansas 2nd chance U if we have too.
Listened to JK on 810 this morning and he once again spoke to Kansas need for not only balancing out the class sizes, but a infusion of talent from both the portal and junior college ranks.
I don’t think anyone at this juncture can argue Kansas needs to find talent no matter where it’s coming from. It wasn’t all that long ago where most everyone on here agreed KU had to stick to high school recruiting. The JUCO route wasn’t working to our advantage. Oh how times have changed so quickly.
Because of nearly 60 freshman/sophomore players going into next season on roster, Kansas desperately needs more maturity and experience on this roster. Not only to balance out the classes, but get bigger, stronger, faster players in here that don’t have the Kansas taint on them.
I’m all for trying to get the best local and regional talent in here from the high school ranks. That’s going to be as important now as it has ever been, but if Kansas is going to be competitive within the next couple years they’re going to have to go out and get someone else’s talent to Lawrence.
Case in point, Erik Gilyard from UCF. That kid would be a difference maker. That kid would make Kansas considerably better at a position that’s desperately needs big 12 talent. Kansas is going to need at least 8-10 bodies from either the portal or juco ranks to plug into key positions. We just can’t rely on the guys we have currently on roster. Most of them will have to be developed and shouldn’t be counted on until they were upperclassman anyways. Vast majority of programs KU faces are playing junior, season, and sometimes 5th year players. Kansas is at a severe disadvantage continually playing our young, undeveloped players.
Lastly, I look at programs like SMU and Michigan State. They did a masterful job of going out and using the transfer portal to reshape their roster this season. Go look at SMU and see how many guys they had transfer in from Georgia or Oklahoma. Guys that were four-star out of high school. Guys with obvious talent advantages. Most of them were just looking for a opportunity to showcase their talents. Oklahoma or Georgia could have a second or third string DT that would be better than anything Kansas has at that position.
So this is what I’m advocating. Keep working the local high school ranks. Keep that as your bread and butter, but if half of our recruiting classes are from the transfer portal, so be it. If there’s one program in this country that is in total need for a complete rehaul it’s Kansas. Don’t look at it as a chemistry killer, but as an opportunity to get real dudes in here who have been groomed by legitimate coaches and strength staffs. Nobody should be using the transfer portal like Kansas. No reason to see schools like SMU and Michigan State take advantage and not Kansas. Make Kansas 2nd chance U if we have too.
