18 Comments
User's avatar
KetamineCal's avatar

Portal doing portal things. If he already got his degree, there's not much else to do but congratulate him and wish him well.

Expand full comment
Daniel Lahl's avatar

The portal giveth and the portal taketh away! As I've commented before, the portal is absolute insanity!

Expand full comment
JCB's avatar

It's Jaron's to lose.

Expand full comment
Rugbear's avatar

We'll have rookie growing pains like Goff's first year, but if we get three good years out of him it could change our program.

Expand full comment
O.Overall's avatar

I had that same thought - is it foolish of us to think and hope a QB will stay in one place? We coached up Fernando with similar long term plans and he bailed on us for more money at essentially his first opportunity (somewhat absurdly, to Indiana, not a traditional powerhouse). How do you keep guys long term in this era? My only thought is is that (a) it is based on personal relationships, and (b) money wise we are early in the NIL era and need some data points about staying with a program versus leaving and how that works out for players.

Expand full comment
Rugbear's avatar

The portal era is a new and completely different era in college football. Every player has unlimited opportunities to become a free agent twice a year. It's no longer about loyalty to a school, it's about money and a career. The portal era is more cutthroat than the NFL where at least players are under contract. In the portal kids are going to constantly evaluate where they get paid the most money, where they have the best opportunity to play and showcase their talents and where they have the best opportunity for success. The vast majority of the time players are going to make changes that they believe improve their career path. Fernando is one such player. For all the downside, there is some upside: if you have a decent NIL fund you can bring in quality players pretty much anytime you need them. The issue is always going to be how a coach builds a culture in such a short time frame with dozens of new portal players. Coach Prime seems to have done a good job in Colorado and others are doing it as well.

Expand full comment
goldenone's avatar

Need to introduce the idea of contracts in NIL so that athletes can't bail at the first sign of more green. That would reduce the volatility and dare I say insanity that has gripped the college football world.

Expand full comment
Rugbear's avatar

I like this idea but the downside is if a kid is a bust then you are wasting money where that money could be used to attract other talent. If schools had deep NIL funding sources it might work, but without a big bucket of money, its a risk.

Expand full comment
ABA Ivan Davis's avatar

Good luck to him, but the best friend to any one of these new quarterbacks is going to be a running game. That is the absolute best friend to a brand new quarterback unless you have michael vick speed and you can change the game on your own.

Expand full comment
Rugbear's avatar

We have a solid RB room, our O-line was just a disaster. I think our new OL coach is going to be a huge upgrade and will solve the problem not just how he coaches but also with the new personnel he's brought in through the portal.

Expand full comment
Rugbear's avatar

As Colonel Klink on Hogans Heros used to say, "verrrrrry interesting."

Expand full comment
Toohandy's avatar

With a new OC, this might be the best situation for the Bears. New QB's, new playbook, new offensive coaches

Expand full comment
Justbear's avatar

Is Brown here yet?

Expand full comment
goldenone's avatar

Yup

Expand full comment
Justbear's avatar

I'm okay with all the transfers as long as their replacements are better than them

Expand full comment
calwatch's avatar

Can't really blame him. Harris will get more playing time outside of the Power Four schools, if that is what he desires.

Expand full comment
goldenone's avatar

Reading the tea leaves like they do in Hawaii Harris probably thinks he won't be the guy.

Expand full comment
Strut’88's avatar

Bummed about this. Harris had potential to have a good season and his senior leadership would have been helpful.

Expand full comment