Although I have not spoken to any of these 3 men, this is my opinion.
Mr Bangura, went to the Twin Cities and came back.
Bradley Weaver (who I followed all year) had a very good year @ Rutgers, with no bowl game to go to.
Will Kacmarek, might again be on a national title team, as a back up.
My question and comment is: Was it worth it for any of these 3 to transfer from Athens?
Bangura, definitely not.
Weaver, maybe more exposure, but would have been noticed if he stayed @ Ohio if the NFL was his goal and reason (many MAC players are in the NFL).
Kacmarek, yes it is fantastic to be on national championship teams. But it is also fun and great to be BMOC
(Big man on campus), which he would have been if he stayed in Athens. Will transferring to me is questionable.
So yes, the transfer portal can be useful. But Ohio University players, if thinking of transferring out ---
be careful what you wish for.
Often the grass is NOT greener on the other side.
Can't look at it that way. We are a mid-major school. If you do your job well, would you want to get promoted? If we become a P4 one day then I would agree but at the end of the day, coaches switch jobs to move up and get paid higher too. Those guys you mentioned deserved to move up and see how they stack against better competition week in and week out for a higher chance to play on Sunday.
Two out of three guys did well so that's not bad either. Throw in the fact that even ESPN announcers know OU is the "most stable team in the MAC" and it's going to continue to happen. Hopefully that revolving door keeps bringing in other talent that can not only hold that stability but get us championship wins, which it already has. (Bangura to Tyus II)