Portal Recruiting

[H2Orange]

I’ll admit I’m skeptical. His game-by-game stats look impressive at first glance—until you look at the competition. He basically carved up a bunch of nobodies, and I mean nobodies. When he finally faced the three teams that actually had a pulse (later in the season, no less), he was picked apart with ease. His reads were poor. He looked like a quarterback who’s barely played the position. And honestly, that’s exactly what he is. Against comparable talent, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns in those three games.

He’s not even listed among the top 75 college quarterbacks this season. Any talk of Drew entering the draft after the 2026–27 season (looking at you, Pistols Firing) is pure fantasy. $7 million.. are you kidding me? We could've bought a HELLUVA proven successful QB. I hear clown music in the distance.

I hope I’m wrong. I truly do. I hope he comes in and wins us games. But the reality is that we’re not going to be remotely competitive for years. That’s just the truth, and I’m okay with accepting it. Some people call that being a scrooge—maybe so. But he’s being hyped like some kind of Messiah, and he’s just not that guy yet. Not even close.

Unfortunately, the actual right quarterback is likely going to transfer because of this unjustified Messiah narrative everyone hopes becomes reality. Because he’s the one truly worth $7 million—and he’s almost certainly heading to the portal.

I’m sure I’ll hear plenty of “Boo this man!” and “You suck!” responses. That’s fine. It’s okay to be skeptical. It’s okay to have hope and enthusiasm. And it’s okay to share your opinion, even when others disagree. I want to be hopeful. Believe me.. I completely understand how hope works. Since November 2024, I've battled and won against stage 4 cancer and I won.

I want OSU to succeed. I just don’t believe the athletic department made the right choice. And if that $7 million is correct, Eric Morris made the worst decision he could've made. That much on one player is just... WTF. This team needs talent. That $7 million could've brought a ton of the talent necessary to compete in the Big 12.

Y'all can call me a buffoon. But if that $7 million is correct, the AD is a clown.

 

[KK10]

View attachment 17030

You read someone that stat-watched without watching the actual games but formed a strong opinion anyway. I'd expect nothing different though...

 

[DxCowboy]

I’ll admit I’m skeptical. His game-by-game stats look impressive at first glance—until you look at the competition. He basically carved up a bunch of nobodies, and I mean nobodies. When he finally faced the three teams that actually had a pulse (later in the season, no less), he was picked apart with ease. His reads were poor. He looked like a quarterback who’s barely played the position. And honestly, that’s exactly what he is. Against comparable talent, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns in those three games.

He’s not even listed among the top 75 college quarterbacks this season. Any talk of Drew entering the draft after the 2026–27 season (looking at you, Pistols Firing) is pure fantasy. $7 million.. are you kidding me? We could've bought a HELLUVA proven successful QB. I hear clown music in the distance.

I hope I’m wrong. I truly do. I hope he comes in and wins us games. But the reality is that we’re not going to be remotely competitive for years. That’s just the truth, and I’m okay with accepting it. Some people call that being a scrooge—maybe so. But he’s being hyped like some kind of Messiah, and he’s just not that guy yet. Not even close.

Unfortunately, the actual right quarterback is likely going to transfer because of this unjustified Messiah narrative everyone hopes becomes reality. Because he’s the one truly worth $7 million—and he’s almost certainly heading to the portal.

I’m sure I’ll hear plenty of “Boo this man!” and “You suck!” responses. That’s fine. It’s okay to be skeptical. It’s okay to have hope and enthusiasm. And it’s okay to share your opinion, even when others disagree. I want to be hopeful. Believe me.. I completely understand how hope works. Since November 2024, I've battled and won against stage 4 cancer and I won.

I want OSU to succeed. I just don’t believe the athletic department made the right choice. And if that $7 million is correct, Eric Morris made the worst decision he could've made. That much on one player is just... WTF. This team needs talent. That $7 million could've brought a ton of the talent necessary to compete in the Big 12.

Y'all can call me a buffoon. But if that $7 million is correct, the AD is a clown

Curious about specific names of QB’s you believe we could have landed. I mean, you’re crapping on one guy who’s played extensively more, while saying the guy who’s barely played is definitively worthy of the $$$. Huh?

And as far as not being competitive for years? Are you paying attention to the coaching turnover in the conference? I don’t know how anyone can realistically project much of anything over the next couple of years. I expect the conference to be a year to year thing with about 7-8 teams contending.

 

[CptnQuirk]

I’ll admit I’m skeptical. His game-by-game stats look impressive at first glance—until you look at the competition. He basically carved up a bunch of nobodies, and I mean nobodies. When he finally faced the three teams that actually had a pulse (later in the season, no less), he was picked apart with ease. His reads were poor. He looked like a quarterback who’s barely played the position. And honestly, that’s exactly what he is. Against comparable talent, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns in those three games.

He’s not even listed among the top 75 college quarterbacks this season. Any talk of Drew entering the draft after the 2026–27 season (looking at you, Pistols Firing) is pure fantasy. $7 million.. are you kidding me? We could've bought a HELLUVA proven successful QB. I hear clown music in the distance.

I hope I’m wrong. I truly do. I hope he comes in and wins us games. But the reality is that we’re not going to be remotely competitive for years. That’s just the truth, and I’m okay with accepting it. Some people call that being a scrooge—maybe so. But he’s being hyped like some kind of Messiah, and he’s just not that guy yet. Not even close.

Unfortunately, the actual right quarterback is likely going to transfer because of this unjustified Messiah narrative everyone hopes becomes reality. Because he’s the one truly worth $7 million—and he’s almost certainly heading to the portal.

I’m sure I’ll hear plenty of “Boo this man!” and “You suck!” responses. That’s fine. It’s okay to be skeptical. It’s okay to have hope and enthusiasm. And it’s okay to share your opinion, even when others disagree. I want to be hopeful. Believe me.. I completely understand how hope works. Since November 2024, I've battled and won against stage 4 cancer and I won.

I want OSU to succeed. I just don’t believe the athletic department made the right choice. And if that $7 million is correct, Eric Morris made the worst decision he could've made. That much on one player is just... WTF. This team needs talent. That $7 million could've brought a ton of the talent necessary to compete in the Big 12.

Y'all can call me a buffoon. But if that $7 million is correct, the AD is a clown

Okay. You’re a buffoon. You are. Always have been, always will be.

 

[Newpoke]

That IS a lot of money, but that is the pay scale for top-tier QB's in the portal. There was an article linked on PFB showing that the scale was basically from $3M-$5M for highly coveted QB's, so this falls in line with what we're paying him. Sure, the level of competition was not great, but for someone that new to the starting QB role to put up those kinds of numbers as a RS freshman, is worth taking a chance on. I don't believe HCEM would spend that kind of money on him if he didn't believe he would develop into an elite QB at this level.

 

[cowboyfan97]

The NIL has so f'ed up college sports. I would almost prefer to fade into irrelevance, than waste this amount of money. I want to win, but can't stand this at all. We have veterans living on the streets. How much good could we do in society with the total amount of money wasted on athletes. Most of whom are dumber than a box of rocks, and will never contribute to society after this. I didn't agree with everything Gundy did or said, but do agree we should have spilt into two leagues; those who want to be semi-professional, and those who just want to play.

 

[CptnQuirk]

The NIL has so f'ed up college sports. I would almost prefer to fade into irrelevance, than waste this amount of money. I want to win, but can't stand this at all. We have veterans living on the streets. How much good could we do in society with the total amount of money wasted on athletes. Most of whom are dumber than a box of rocks, and will never contribute to society after this. I didn't agree with everything Gundy did or said, but do agree we should have spilt into two leagues; those who want to be semi-professional, and those who just want to play.

The money comes from somewhere and it goes somewhere. A lot of athletes help underprivileged kids. Many of them came from those environments and want to give something back.

 

[Popoke]

The money comes from somewhere and it goes somewhere. A lot of athletes help underprivileged kids. Many of them came from those environments and want to give something back.

Cap. Don’t act like the majority of the athletes don’t blow the money on dumb things. Do a smaller than small percentage give back, sure. We all know that’s not the norm though, to suggest otherwise is comical.

 

[CptnQuirk]

Cap. Don’t act like the majority of the athletes don’t blow the money on dumb things. Do a smaller than small percentage give back, sure. We all know that’s not the norm though, to suggest otherwise is comical.

It keeps the economy rolling. Money spent supports jobs which provides income for a lot of people.

 

[Pokes31]

Morris has been fantastic with QBs. Hopefully, the fact that Mestemaker is inexperienced means there is much more room for growth. I will trust Morris on this one. I figure we had to take the chance and strike while the iron is hot. I hope solid offensive and defensive lineman follow. I would think 7 mm would escalate the expectations for the team a bit.

 

[zone2poke]

The NIL has so f'ed up college sports. I would almost prefer to fade into irrelevance, than waste this amount of money. I want to win, but can't stand this at all. We have veterans living on the streets. How much good could we do in society with the total amount of money wasted on athletes. Most of whom are dumber than a box of rocks, and will never contribute to society after this. I didn't agree with everything Gundy did or said, but do agree we should have spilt into two leagues; those who want to be semi-professional, and those who just want to play.

It's the obligation of the University to be a great educational institution (not to help veterans on the streets, which is the job of the federal government), and that requires lots of money. A substantial portion of the budget comes from donors. And keeping deep-pocket donors happy with a good football team is important. Whatever we might think of this situation, it is the reality. And so the millions paid to a college QB is an investment and also of course a risk. It's a ton of money. But now that it is done, I just hope he helps establish a new level of success for our program.

 

[InChristAlone]

Hejny to transfer out. Not a surprise given the Mestemaker addition. Hopefully one of the 3 QB commits will prove to be a reliable backup.

 

[Osucowboys344]

I’ll admit I’m skeptical. His game-by-game stats look impressive at first glance—until you look at the competition. He basically carved up a bunch of nobodies, and I mean nobodies. When he finally faced the three teams that actually had a pulse (later in the season, no less), he was picked apart with ease. His reads were poor. He looked like a quarterback who’s barely played the position. And honestly, that’s exactly what he is. Against comparable talent, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns in those three games.

He’s not even listed among the top 75 college quarterbacks this season. Any talk of Drew entering the draft after the 2026–27 season (looking at you, Pistols Firing) is pure fantasy. $7 million.. are you kidding me? We could've bought a HELLUVA proven successful QB. I hear clown music in the distance.

I hope I’m wrong. I truly do. I hope he comes in and wins us games. But the reality is that we’re not going to be remotely competitive for years. That’s just the truth, and I’m okay with accepting it. Some people call that being a scrooge—maybe so. But he’s being hyped like some kind of Messiah, and he’s just not that guy yet. Not even close.

Unfortunately, the actual right quarterback is likely going to transfer because of this unjustified Messiah narrative everyone hopes becomes reality. Because he’s the one truly worth $7 million—and he’s almost certainly heading to the portal.

I’m sure I’ll hear plenty of “Boo this man!” and “You suck!” responses. That’s fine. It’s okay to be skeptical. It’s okay to have hope and enthusiasm. And it’s okay to share your opinion, even when others disagree. I want to be hopeful. Believe me.. I completely understand how hope works. Since November 2024, I've battled and won against stage 4 cancer and I won.

I want OSU to succeed. I just don’t believe the athletic department made the right choice. And if that $7 million is correct, Eric Morris made the worst decision he could've made. That much on one player is just... WTF. This team needs talent. That $7 million could've brought a ton of the talent necessary to compete in the Big 12.

Y'all can call me a buffoon. But if that $7 million is correct, the AD is a clown

From what I understand, we just got a massive war chest for this next season. We have one donor putting down 15M and others who have piled in more. We could be looking at a 20M+ roster next year

 

[PJ-OSU]

From what I understand, we just got a massive war chest for this next season. We have one donor putting down 15M and others who have piled in more. We could be looking at a 20M+ roster next year

From where and what is that understanding based on?

 

[Osucowboys344]

From where and what is that understanding based on?

I just heard Houston…. But apparently there is a lot more than that and the understanding is that we get better recruits

 

[cowboyinexile]

Cap. Don’t act like the majority of the athletes don’t blow the money on dumb things. Do a smaller than small percentage give back, sure. We all know that’s not the norm though, to suggest otherwise is comical.

My 75" tv and Sketchers help underprivileged kids in China.

 

[DxCowboy]

I just heard Houston…. But apparently there is a lot more than that and the understanding is that we get better recruits

The amount is great and all, if accurate, but I feel like the new staff couldn’t suck as bad at evaluating players if they tried. No amount of $$& was going to drag a dinosaur into modern times.

 

[Backin82]

The amount is great and all, if accurate, but I feel like the new staff couldn’t suck as bad at evaluating players if they tried. No amount of $$& was going to drag a dinosaur into modern times.

It wasn't a matter of skill. It was a matter of effort. Little interest and effort were devoted to it, and it really exposed that approach once NIL + open transfer happened.

 

[PokeBloke]

Just saw the UAB WR has 7 visits lined up Inc us over the next 10 days. Insane travel schedule. So I’m assuming schools foot the bill for these “visits”? Looks like this portal window is going to take days to get guys in for visits then you hope you don’t get outbid last minute? I like at midnight we would have some names rolling out but doesn’t appear that way…?

 

[andylicious]

The amount is great and all, if accurate, but I feel like the new staff couldn’t suck as bad at evaluating players if they tried. No amount of $$& was going to drag a dinosaur into modern times.

It is impossible to miss on as many, but yet they did