I can't fault anyone for doing what they believe is best for themselves given the current landscape. I just hope they get the guidance to choose the opportunities that will truly open doors for their future, as opposed to a short term cash grab.

I'm not even bothered about key players bailing on the bowl game. Like I really care about the Myrtle Beach bowl against 6-6 Georgia Southern. The way I look at it, I'm excited for guys like Ricky Hunt, Chase Hendricks, Rodney Harris, etc to hopefully make a case for themselves in a real game.

What bugs me is guys who consistently improved while at Ohio and have pro potential (Rourke, Thompson). These guys have a shot at the NFL, but they're going to have Indiana or Pitt next to their name forevermore. Or that kid at Alabama basketball who came from North Dakota State. That's a jersey in the rafters sort of player at NDSU, but not so much at Alabama. Will NDSU get any credit for that kid next year when he's drafted? I'd like to think if I were an athlete in that position, I'd make it a point to ensure more than one school gets recognition for developing me.

Alec Burton in the portal. I kind of forgot he was still here

We're seeing why we need to keep that pipeline full. It's never a bad thing to have too many solid players, even if in just in practice.

Ricky Hunt and Chase Hendricks are about to make their first starts as a true freshman in a bowl game. Hunt is the 3rd or 4th stringer, Chase is buried down the depth chart. Next man up. Need depth in a bad way.

Unsure about Wither, HES CANADIAN (! another one !) but Winters was getting a lot of praise in spring.

OL Demond Arter in the portal. Not sure he ever saw the field in his time at Ohio.

Yeah if nothing else this game could be a preview of next year.

Who can make an impact and who can’t?

Stay tuned.

May have been on before , but Miami’s Lou Groza winning kicker is apparently coming back next year. As if they need any more help in winning the MAC again next year. I guess he could be waiting until after the bowl game. He could probably make some good change in the portal.

https://youtu.be/9UzO4DJBoWw?si=6F5fjLQBfg_qs-MQ

Remember these commercials. Almost all of us will be going pro in something other than sports. It’s good to dream and work to go pro in sports but shouldn’t pickings school be based off your academic interest as well as sporting interest. It seems with the portal a generation of athletes are forgetting about this. This was my problem when debating whether to pay players. I always thought you’re getting paid essentially 20k a year, whatever the tuition is to get an education. Most players are going to use the education they get not sports to make a living after college. Maybe a small % of players deserve to get paid extra at the big schools because of how much money they get but for the majority should remember they are student athletes with the student first. And just the clarify I don’t think all players transferring are not good students but it seems in the current college sports landscape people are forgetting that. Also think as I’ve posted before now that you can make money athletes should try to be smart and creative about finding ways to do it even at smaller schools like Ohio.

For me, I do not understand why he and others did not play the bowl game just one game left. My son, Brian is one number fan of Kurtis Rourke and others. He wants to see Kurtis, and others to play the bowl game. He loves Ohio U Football, and Ohio U Basketball. Go Ohio

Hypothetically what happens if our transfers don't get an offer? Do they stay on Ohio or are they just lost in the void of nothingness?

Personally I wouldn’t let them back… they quit on the team and found out the grass isn’t always greener. It’s their fault let them stay in the portal with no place to play

If our bowl game was in the Bahamas the portals would of stayed till we won another bowl

I'm sure we would welcome Sieh Bangura back.

I'm not sure it's an active policy. If you want to roughly group players into categories, we can go with:
1. Players who are really good
2. Players who are fine, but not as good as they think
3. Players who aren't as good as expected

Players in the first group should have no difficulty moving up, and generally find a new home quickly, but they are a minority of the players in the portal. Rourke is an example of group 1. The fact that the offers he got only came from lower tier P5 schools, however, indicates that he is not at the absolute top of group 1.

Players in the third group are players mired in the depth chart, not getting much playing time. They are looking to move down because they want to play, even at a lower level, rather than being a backup. These are the majority of players in the portal. If they don't find a new home, they will be likely out of football. They are very unlikely to return to their old team.

Then there is group 2. They think they are going to move up, but once in the portal, don't find the interest, and have only the options of a lateral move, or perhaps returning to their existing team. If they want to return, with a new sense that they didn't have it so bad, I see no reason why they would automatically be rejected. If they had a terrible attitude to begin with, that was hurting team unity, the team might not want them back, however. I would think it was be a situational thing, not a cut and dried policy.

Since the majority of players in the portal are in group 3, most players who don't find a home will not return to their old team, but I would expect that some players in the second group will end up back on their old team. Personally, I put Bangura in the second group. He's a very good player, but not really a pro prospect, and may or may not be able to find a P5 team that wants him. His best options may end up being a lateral move, or returning to Ohio. We'll just have to wait and see how it develops.