Just checked the transfers from around the valley and...oooh boy. Keeping Coop is looking to be more and more of a major win for Valpo
@rezynezy I don't know. Of the 10 in the portal the only award winner is Gillespie. No 1st 2nd or 3rd team guys or all freshman.
@vu72 Im thinking of this as a game of dominos. Once one piece falls, others go with it
Olivet also has connections to the area. VHS football uses the university for a lock-in every year.
What's a lock-in?
@jd24 Team bonding really. They spend a weekend at Olivet and run through conditioning and practices
Belmont center Malik Dia has entered portal. Thats 2 key players in 2 days
@rs1207 That is a "big" loss! We finally get rid of Brodie and now Dia! Two guys who were pretty much unstoppable for us. Now, we need to find our own "Dia".
Stafford Stays. Here is Our Reverend's homily on the subject
https://twitter.com/RogerPowellJr/status/1769139697240944973
It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. I trust Stafford and Cooper, but we also had JFL fall to the forces around him, after telling PO that he was staying
@valpotx Did JFL make a statement on socials? Or did he just tell PO he planned to stay. I think it is significant that these guys decided to come forward on social media rather than just make a statement to PO
Good for Stafford, Schwieger, Powell and the program. Two very good building blocks for 2025.
Looking forward to the next few weeks of the offseason roster changes.
I think it was just a statement to Paul, but at that time, it wasn't as common to automatically go to social media. With Cooper and Stafford staying, and mentioning it right before the transfer portal officially opens, the hope is that they can help influence some transfers our direction, that want to play with them and Powell. If they had waited longer to make a statement, it might have complicated it quite a bit. I will also be interested to see if Darius stays, to be honest. He increased his profile quite a bit, but also seems like a loyal guy.
@valpotx Did JFL make a statement on socials? Or did he just tell PO he planned to stay. I think it is significant that these guys decided to come forward on social media rather than just make a statement to PO
JFL gave an answer to a question of mine in a public press conference. I asked him if he was driven to build something long-term at Valpo after getting so close to the goal of the NCAA tournament. His reply was "If you're asking if I'm coming back, yes, I am."
COVID hit less than a week later and he was in the portal 53 days later. It was a tough question at an emotional moment. I don't hold it against him.
Keep Coop and Staff is very good news in building the foundation. The rest going to the transfer protocol is not a big deal. The talent upgrade needs to be in the works.
@thevictorybell yeah that sounds right then. Press conference setting and all.
