I apologize for being late. We are still working. Still work being done, this is a strange signing time. It's not the full class and it's early and players are there to sign later today or in Feb. and we're working on transfers and the portal and working on that. It's strange. It's like talking about the draft class before the third day. Excited about the guys here. Really good players and coaches did a good job. Program working hard to put this together and capitalize on momentum. Kept high impact guys in Mississippi home. It's a different era without the 25 cap and it's made things different.
Things aren't always what they appear to be. I wouldn't say we lost a QB. It is what it is. With the portal and guys with one year and or four years left, it's so incomplete to what it'll look like in spring or certainly fall camp. We have QB depth issues to work on but that's around the country because of kids in the portal, especially QB. We have work to do everywhere but there, too.
Really big to win Mississippi kids that are nationally competitive. That hasn't always been the case here but it's huge to do that and keep those guys. We're in a little better position with NIL than we were in a year ago. That plays a role, too.
It's very abnormal, all of it is but it is what it is. You have to deal with it. I'm on the phone with recruits and we have a mock scrimmage in a half hour and we have players missing practice because they are on visits to other places. More guys around the country will get in portal after bowls. People are everywhere. It's a huge free agency window. It's a player friendly system. NIL contracts don't lock kids in. You can jump in and out of the portal. Find your value constantly. This is super friendly for players.
There are players from our team that may come back out of the portal. We don't know yet who's going in the draft. We don't know who is available to us in the portal later. It's impossible to know yet where are needs are.
Perkins in the state title game was one of the more impressive things I've ever seen in person. He's a defensive player but his ball skills and awareness are so good and he can dominate on offense. It's very impressive.
This isn't going to be the high school number by the end of the day. There's no 25 rule. There's really no number that's left. You don't know what your 85 is yet. You'll see portal guys come in backup roles now more than last year. The portal won't be there for all the guys to find what they think so they'll still need a home.
Sanders is a special kid and a special family and he stayed with us with a lot of teams trying to get him.
Reescano has been extremely productive. We had him high on the board from early on. One of our higher ranked players. He can be really special and says a lot about him to come when we have the best freshman in America at his spot.
I hope Ayden Williams is like the great in-state ones before him. He fits the profile and has the tools. He can be a really special receiver.
Evans hasn't made a decision about the NFL Draft. He's still weighing options.
Things aren't always what they appear to be. I wouldn't say we lost a QB. It is what it is. With the portal and guys with one year and or four years left, it's so incomplete to what it'll look like in spring or certainly fall camp. We have QB depth issues to work on but that's around the country because of kids in the portal, especially QB. We have work to do everywhere but there, too.
Really big to win Mississippi kids that are nationally competitive. That hasn't always been the case here but it's huge to do that and keep those guys. We're in a little better position with NIL than we were in a year ago. That plays a role, too.
It's very abnormal, all of it is but it is what it is. You have to deal with it. I'm on the phone with recruits and we have a mock scrimmage in a half hour and we have players missing practice because they are on visits to other places. More guys around the country will get in portal after bowls. People are everywhere. It's a huge free agency window. It's a player friendly system. NIL contracts don't lock kids in. You can jump in and out of the portal. Find your value constantly. This is super friendly for players.
There are players from our team that may come back out of the portal. We don't know yet who's going in the draft. We don't know who is available to us in the portal later. It's impossible to know yet where are needs are.
Perkins in the state title game was one of the more impressive things I've ever seen in person. He's a defensive player but his ball skills and awareness are so good and he can dominate on offense. It's very impressive.
This isn't going to be the high school number by the end of the day. There's no 25 rule. There's really no number that's left. You don't know what your 85 is yet. You'll see portal guys come in backup roles now more than last year. The portal won't be there for all the guys to find what they think so they'll still need a home.
Sanders is a special kid and a special family and he stayed with us with a lot of teams trying to get him.
Reescano has been extremely productive. We had him high on the board from early on. One of our higher ranked players. He can be really special and says a lot about him to come when we have the best freshman in America at his spot.
I hope Ayden Williams is like the great in-state ones before him. He fits the profile and has the tools. He can be a really special receiver.
Evans hasn't made a decision about the NFL Draft. He's still weighing options.
