The transfer portal has fundamentally changed the construction of rosters in college football.
The database has become a significant way for teams to not only fill roster needs but become a massive piece to any build for the majority of college programs.
Just look at the current West Virginia roster for example. There are 35 listed seniors on the roster and only five of those began their careers in Morgantown.
That list is wide receiver Preston Fox, defensive lineman Edward Vesterinen, defensive lineman Hammond Russell, linebacker Caden Biser and punter Oliver Straw.
When considering the junior class, there are only 12 players on the roster that started their careers in Morgantown and four of those arrived in the program as walk-ons.
Now, some of this is directly related to the coaching change and everything that comes with that as Rich Rodriguez and his coaching staff have every right to construct the roster the way they prefer.
But overall, the total number of transfers in college sports combined with how easy it has become to fill needs with experienced college football players, the totals aren’t really that surprising.
For example, this off-season alone West Virginia has added 40 transfers with 26 of those being seniors and eight being juniors, although some of those hail from the junior college ranks.
It’s the nature of the beast in today’s college football as coaching staffs are under more pressure than ever to win immediately and given the avenues they can utilize there is a pressing need to get older and more experienced as quickly as possible.
Perhaps further adjustments could change the current path but the days of waiting for 25 freshmen to develop in a single class has seemed to go by the wayside.
“That development part of it is still important but you've got to make decisions because coaches have to win right now,” Rodriguez said during the spring.
That makes it difficult for younger players, especially when Rodriguez can see the potential but has to weigh the time it takes for those guys to develop into what they’ll eventually become.
That win-now focus has become exactly that not just at West Virginia but across the college football landscape and the transfer portal has certainly become a key component in accomplishing that.
“We’re going to do all we can to win right now,” Rodriguez said.
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