<< snip snip >> But stockpiling elite HS talent is the way to consistently being elite.
Old school thinking. The "HS" part specifically.
Consistently acquiring elite talent is the key to being consistently elite. (To be fair, coaching matters too.) In today's game, coaches need to be more agnostic as to where they find it, HS or portal. Even overseas.
HS talent, even elite, is rarely able to start on Day 1. (And if they do, it's generally because the team lacks talent or depth in that position.) So you have to expect & allow that talent to ripen, But on the positive side, while that is happening the players are also learning your team culture, your system, your disciplines, & bonding with team mates.
Whereas portal players arrive more physically mature, and presumably have improved the mental part of their game, on somebody else's dime and scholarship limits. Probably has film in college games. Coaches can evaluate them from film better than they can do the same with HS players. And they're ready to play, or closer to it. OTOH, they may be in the portal because they have a more mercenary, what's-in-it-for-me mentality. Or their game has topped out for some reason.
Both have pros & cons.
In today's portal/NIL world, players can unilaterally & unexpectedly decide to frolic in seemingly greener pastures. So strategically planning the team depth & succession chart is lot more difficult than it used to be. A team may have sudden needs.
A coach may not get MANY elite or game-changing players out from trasnfers, but if as a head coach you ignore that source of talent, you've seriously handicapped yourself against other head coaches who better master that aspect of today's game. QB is one position where elite talent may be available, because the #2 QB doesn't play much, no matter how good he is. And this predates the portal by many years. Troy Aikman is the first I remember.
TLDR? Improvise, Adapt, Overcome. Football is a zero-sum game, with a cast that changes every year.
