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Kenneth Walker and Trey Rucker enter Transfer Portal

Cortez Andrews is a safety turned linebacker from MD who is in the portal. Might be worth a look.
 
Michigan State’s rushing game was lol bad this year, so at least he should get plenty of playing time.

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Holy shit. Too bad D’Antonio isn’t still there to get his parents patronage jobs. Fucking garbage. You just joined a program that lost to Rutgers two months ago.
 
Holy shit. Too bad D’Antonio isn’t still there to get his parents patronage jobs. Fucking garbage. You just joined a program that lost to Rutgers two months ago.

This. Sparty sucks. Have fun Kenny. Now I don't have anyone to pull for in the Michigan/MSU game except horrible weather for shit programs.
 
Wait, I thought we had a culture issue? This shows an alternate set of facts that we are the third best in the league regarding the portal leaves.

I would be surprised if those other 99 players in the portal from the rest of the ACC combined equaled the production of Newman and Walker in their last seasons at Wake.

But you are right 3-7 Georgia Tech who has a new coach and is implementing an entirely new offense losing Ahmarean Brown's 11 catches is the same as Wake losing Walker or UNC losing Rontavius Groves 4 catches or Cuse losing Markenzy Pierre's 21 rushes for 48 yards. Even State losing Bailey Hockman who had 13 TDs and 11 ints, doesnt care because all season he was just keeping the seat warm for Devin Leary. Find me another school in the ACC who is losing big time players after their breakout season like we are.

Walker transferred to Michigan State, he didn't do it to be closer to home, it wasn't for better academics, it wasn't because he dreamed about playing in the SEC as some people thought, it wasn't to be part of a team that is going to compete for a national championship. With the caveat of not knowing anything about Walker personally, it would seem that he transferred to a bigger school for more exposure. Not even a better team, just more exposure.

Also I didn't say there was a culture issue at Wake. I asked is it time to start thinking that there might be when break out players are leaving to get more exposure at bigger schools where they think that they can be better developed. It was an open ended query to elicit debate on the subject.

Michigan State also is getting Harold Joiner a transfer from Auburn, who didn't play last year, but in 2019 had 12 carries for 94 yards and a TD.
 
I don't think at all it's a problem within our program, it's pretty obvious that it's problem caused by the new transfer rules.
 
TimmyC MAY have isolated the primary issue. If so, WF’s response should be to develop much better strategies to DEVELOP better exposure for our own program. Guys like John Wolford actually help. But if you look at other guys in the NFL, how many are sending accolades back to WF? WF has got to be much smarter about developing exposure, insisting upon it, and paying for it. Does WF staff for this properly? I doubt WF, prior to Currie, has even considered a real strategy to increase “exposure.” Sure, lots of media and SID type staff but that is ultimately routine without sophisticated planning and execution. Clawson and Currie can focus on this more regardless of Newman and Walker, and simply focus on it more for obvious reasons.
 
Apparently our creative video guy is a MAGA Clemson grad who supported storming the Capitol, so obviously not vetting that side of things very well.
 
TimmyC MAY have isolated the primary issue. If so, WF’s response should be to develop much better strategies to DEVELOP better exposure for our own program. Guys like John Wolford actually help. But if you look at other guys in the NFL, how many are sending accolades back to WF? WF has got to be much smarter about developing exposure, insisting upon it, and paying for it. Does WF staff for this properly? I doubt WF, prior to Currie, has even considered a real strategy to increase “exposure.” Sure, lots of media and SID type staff but that is ultimately routine without sophisticated planning and execution. Clawson and Currie can focus on this more regardless of Newman and Walker, and simply focus on it more for obvious reasons.

I actually saw a Wake media person tweet something about this a few days back. SkullSparks tracks social media interactions, and Wake ranked 64 out of 130 teams (Wake was #21 in terms of year-over-year improvement). This put Wake ahead of other P5 schools like Rutgers, Duke, Cuse, Vandy, Stanford, Northwester, K State, Arizona, and Cal. Michigan State was #23.
 
I don't think at all it's a problem within our program, it's pretty obvious that it's problem caused by the new transfer rules.

It may not be anything particularly negative happening within our program, but the transfer rules and current trends are clearly affecting wake in a terrible way and disproportionately worse than other schools. It’s a major problem for us if it continues. Used to be developing under the radar players was our only way to keep up. Now we can’t even do that.
 
Here are the number of players currently in the transfer portal for each ACC school, according to 247, while most have not announced, some have already picked their destination:

BC: 6
Clemson: 3 (one five star to Florida and two four stars)
Duke: 8 (a DL to Michigan State, DL to Penn. State, DB to TT, two QBs)
FSU: 11 (a DB to State, a DB to BC, a DL to State, WR to Indiana)
GT: 12 (a DL to KY, WR to S. Carolina)
L'ville: 10 (DB to UVA, DB to K State)
Miami: 2
State: 7 (including starting QB Bailey Hockman)
UNC: 15 (including DB to ECU, OL to Arizona State)
Pitt: 2
Cuse: 9
UVA: 7
VT: 7 (including QB Hendon Hooker, and two 4 star OL to L'ville and WV)
WF: 5 (KW3, Rucker, Kendral Flowers, Peyton Woulard and Isaiah Essissma)

There are several schools with double digit players in the portal. TN may have the most with 17.

numbers alone don't tell the story. I would think based on quality and production that we have been hurt the worst over the last several years.
 
numbers alone don't tell the story. I would think based on quality and production that we have been hurt the worst over the last several years.

that's pretty much only based on Newman (who we replaced a lot of his production w/ Hartman) and Walker (remains to be seen how we replace him). Still think we are overreacting some.
 
The gloom and doom here is baseless, but it's a sad never-ending theme with some in our fanbase.

When the ACC expanded adding Florida State, it was predicted that WF football would suffer. How can WF compete with the mighty Noles. The rest of the ACC will leave us behind. Instead, WF football raised its level.

When the Power 6 conferences realigned to 5, it was predicted that WF would get left out, or if WF somehow didn't get left out, WF couldn't compete in a conferences with schools with more long-term football success like Miami, VT, L'ville and ND . Again, those predictions were wrong.

Now, WF is in the middle of its best continued run of success in football in a 100 years, and some are claiming that WF football (and now apparently, basketball too) will suffer because players can transfer without sitting out a year. The implied message is that if players are free to move on to other schools, all of the good WF players will leave; while no "good" players from other schools will want to come to WF. Such a massive inferiority complex.

The 4 year grad transfer rules had been around for a decade+ and WF didn't have a track record of losing grad transfers to "more high profile" programs, even though WF had far more top level 5th year players in position to do so because of Grobe's and then Clawson's redshirting policies. In light of the expanded transferring rules, it boggles comprehension how so many here fear that WF's better players can't wait to get out of Dodge. Despite a ton returning players who would be welcome at almost any program, everyone is returning except for 3 players who had fallen in the depth chart, and now, two players that opted out because of COVID.

You know who the biggest LOWFers are? WF own "fans". When you travel around the country and talk to people about WF sports, the general responses and attitudes about WF are far more positive than the seemingly never ending "boy, how's WF sports going to survive this" when anything new comes up. With or without KW3, WF will be very good in football next year, and would expect that WF to continue to recruit and attract transfers at a high level. With the leadership that WF now has at the AD, football and basketball level, WF is smarter and more adaptable than just about any in the country. Change is good for WF because we have the people who can and will continue to take advantage of it.
 
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The gloom and doom here is baseless, but it's a sad never-ending theme with some in our fanbase.

When the ACC expanded adding Florida State, it was predicted that WF football would suffer. How can WF compete with the mighty Noles. The rest of the ACC will leave us behind. Instead, WF football raised its level.

When the Power 6 conferences realigned to 5, it was predicted that WF would get left out, or if WF somehow didn't get left out, WF couldn't compete in a conferences with schools with more long-term football success like Miami, VT, L'ville and ND . Again, those predictions were wrong.

Now, WF is in the middle of its best continued run of success in football in a 100 years, and some are claiming that WF football (and now apparently, basketball too) will suffer because players can transfer without sitting out a year. The implied message is that if players are free to move on to other schools, all of the good WF players will leave; while no "good" players from other schools will want to come to WF. Such a massive inferiority complex.

The 4 year grad transfer rules had been around for a decade+ and WF didn't have a track record of losing grad transfers to "more high profile" programs, even though WF had far more top level 5th year players in position to do so because of Grobe's and then Clawson's redshirting policies. In light of the expanded transferring rules, it boggles comprehension how so many here fear that WF's better players can't wait to get out of Dodge. Despite a ton returning players who would be welcome at almost any program, everyone is returning except for 3 players who had fallen in the depth chart, and now, two players that opted out because of COVID.

You know who the biggest LOWFers are? WF own "fans". When you travel around the country and talk to people about WF sports, the general responses and attitudes about WF are far more positive than the seemingly never ending "boy, how's WF sports going to survive this" when anything new comes up. With or without KW3, WF will be very good in football next year, and would expect that WF to continue to recruit and attract transfers at a high level. With the leadership that WF now has at the AD, football and basketball level, WF is smarter and more adaptable than just about any in the country. Change is good for WF because we have the people who can and will continue to take advantage of it.

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In the past 5 years, Wake football and basketball have lost Bryant Crawford, Doral Moore, Chaundee Brown, Olivier Sarr, Greg Dortch, Jamie Newman, and Kenneth Walker. None of those players left to be drafted by either the NBA or the NFL. All were among the top 3-4 players on the team when they left.

Maybe that is bad luck, maybe each individual situation can be explained away. I just think that impact players leaving a program early for reasons other than being drafted is a concerning trend that I don't see being replicated with nearly the volume at other schools.
 
This. Sparty sucks. Have fun Kenny. Now I don't have anyone to pull for in the Michigan/MSU game except horrible weather for shit programs.

They need a lead RB due to their bad rushing game. Don't forget this "shit" program" did beat us in the 2019 Pinstripe Bowl. Plus they are in a better overall conference than the ACC. Bad weather, true but better conference, yes.

1 SEC-WEST (A) = 81.49 82.73 ( 1) 7 81.85 ( 1)
2 BIG 12 (A) = 79.14 78.51 ( 3) 10 79.06 ( 2)
3 PAC-12(SOUTH) (A) = 78.57 77.71 ( 5) 6 78.02 ( 4)
4 BIG TEN-WEST (A) = 78.26 78.16 ( 4) 7 78.22 ( 3)
5 BIG TEN-EAST (A) = 77.47 78.56 ( 2) 7 77.78 ( 5)
6 PAC-12(NORTH) (A) = 77.40 77.61 ( 6) 6 77.58 ( 6)
7 SEC-EAST (A) = 74.27 74.44 ( 7) 7 74.36 ( 7)
8 ACC-COASTAL (A) = 72.14 71.39 ( 9) 7 71.70 ( 9)
9 ACC-ATLANTIC (A) = 71.80 72.62 ( 8) 7 71.74 ( 8)
 
Leaving to play professionally and transfering to another school are totally different things. There are a ton of players every year that declare for the NBA and/or NFL drafts that don't get drafted. Texas A&M (Debione Renfro, Kendrick Rogers and Quartney Davis had three starters declare for the NFL draft last year who didn't get drafted is there a culture problem at A&M? For the NBA the numbers are even higher: 163 college players declared for the NBA draft last year, and the vast majority of them didn't get draft (only 60 players get drafted, and not every draft pick is a someone who declared early).
 
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