Any Portal News Yet

[Joe Bobcat]

Per my source, Davis is most likely entering the portal.

That would be a bummer. Although, playing injured the last two years, it’s surprising if he can get it any better than here.

How much of the transferring out is not based on $$ at all, but the "Tommy Effect" as in, he's leaving and there's a big question mark as to who will replace him? He was such a phenomenal leader that so many looked up to and wanted to play with/for. With losing him, along with coaches Walker and Johnson, potentially, is there uncertainty among the team?

We'll never know but I don't think it's worth reading too much into it. These players are human beings and there are a wide variety of reasons why each one might choose to stay or leave. Due to the Covid year a lot of these guys are also graduating while they still have athletic eligibility remaining, which might factor in as well from an academic perspective.

That is weird because I physically talked to his dad hours before the game, at the tailgate, and he said he is coming back. His dad also told me he was looking forward to going to Oregon to watch them. His dad said Julius loves the bobcat fans and said even though there is less than at Wisconsin, the bobcat fan base is much more dedicated and passionate. Those words came directly from his dad. Maybe after the game things changed big time.

Just now catching up on some of these threads. We tailgated near the large RV with the Bobcat Collective sign on the side and music blasting. Great environment. I had almost the exact same conversation with the Davis Dad and if I remember right Julius's cousin was with the Dad. I don't know how your conversation went but mine with Mr. Davis was totally lead and directed by him. It was fun talking with him and I'm serious when I say that he told me the exact same things he told you. I suspect you and I must have been within a hundred feet of each other.

[TomCat88]

The saltiness in this thread is giving me hypertension.

You’re right.

I’m sorry Tom. I’ll be done now.

Okay. Go be great!

[coloradocat]

The best player is the Bobcat player. I'm glad Davis is a Bobcat.

[Catbacker_1]

Somewhat surprising:

Why is that surprising? Isn't he just a sophomore? I guess with Miller leaving he could have bailed but I'm sure he's all about getting another trophy next year. Winning is contagious.

This may not be a popular opinion, but North Dakota State football culture is still different than ours. We still have our core, which is good and strong and getting better. But not everybody has bought in long-term. To be fair, I don’t know what the FOCA and additional NIL money that North Dakota state has, I assume it’s more than what we’ve got, but that is somewhat of a part of it as well.
Colter had mentioned whether or not somebody had amortized, if you will, the long-term cost to benefit analysis Of staying put in the program that developed you and gave you opportunities, and getting your degree rather than the gamble of some immediate return increase in NIL money and possible exposure.
As Alex Singleton stated, as of sophomore, he would’ve taken that money, not being from the state of Montana. But he also said some things have probably got to change.
Bryce Lance also might be a beneficiary of having a brother playing pro football, reducing the need for immediate money.

Funny enough, I was just talking about similar things with my BIL. I’ll try to paraphrase and keep it short.

NDSU has a lot more money than we do to play with. They could compete with the MWC right now, no problem at all.

Players at NDSU have a certainty of competing for, and likely winning a championship. We’re just barely getting to that point, and it’s yet to be seen if we can continue it (I believe we can).

NDSU has a better NFL track record than the majority of FBS schools around them. That absolutely matters.

I really believe NDSU’s biggest advantage is that they’re a big fish in a relatively big pond. They’re essentially in Minnesota, and any midwest player that doesn’t get a Big 10/12 offer is going to likely prefer to go to NDSU than Bowling Green or Ball State. And, the culture of the Midwest and the players there is just different than the PNW where we recruit heavily. It’s a huge advantage they have in that their recruiting area is bigger and better than ours.

It may be a big advantage but MSU is on a par with NDSU on the field. The Bobcats are in some ways better off than ndsu. The alumni base is bigger and better. I think if MSU’s fan base had a run like ndsu’s on, it would leave ndsu’s in the dust. The athletic complex going up here is better in most ways.

I'd sure like to see that break down. Why do you think the alumni base is bigger at MSU? What makes an alumni base better? And what would MSU be leaving in the dust?

MSU got beat after a blocked extra point. And you could say, hung in there last Monday. But, that was the best MSU team in the modern era by a long shot. Maybe my wounds are still gushing blood, but I dont see MSU ever beating NDSU, ever. Vigen got beat by a first year head coach. Vigen and his team looked lost and unprepared for the moment in the first half. That is mind blowing and unacceptable. If the 2024 Cats cant beat NDSU, then I dont see it being possible until NDSU takes about 10 steps backwards, which isnt going to happen.

MSU has an enrollment of 17,000 to their 12,000. MSU has had from 3,000 to 5,000 more students per year than they have had for the past 20 years.
Bigger is better. MSU has more multi millionaires in its alumni base and more people pumping money into the school. If MSU was on a championship run the fan turnout would leave ndsus in the dust.
It’s only a matter of time.

Your thoughts are the same people had in the mid-10s and the 90s about UM. Except in that case msu was 0-11 in 2000.

That may be but NDSU has a mega backer like Denny Washington in Tom Blattner who donated 15 million to finish their 50 million dollar practice facility. With the family they selling their business for 4.2 billion dollars he has plenty more where that came from. MSU athletics needs a whale.

[AFCAT]

Somewhat surprising:

Why is that surprising? Isn't he just a sophomore? I guess with Miller leaving he could have bailed but I'm sure he's all about getting another trophy next year. Winning is contagious.

This may not be a popular opinion, but North Dakota State football culture is still different than ours. We still have our core, which is good and strong and getting better. But not everybody has bought in long-term. To be fair, I don’t know what the FOCA and additional NIL money that North Dakota state has, I assume it’s more than what we’ve got, but that is somewhat of a part of it as well.
Colter had mentioned whether or not somebody had amortized, if you will, the long-term cost to benefit analysis Of staying put in the program that developed you and gave you opportunities, and getting your degree rather than the gamble of some immediate return increase in NIL money and possible exposure.
As Alex Singleton stated, as of sophomore, he would’ve taken that money, not being from the state of Montana. But he also said some things have probably got to change.
Bryce Lance also might be a beneficiary of having a brother playing pro football, reducing the need for immediate money.

Funny enough, I was just talking about similar things with my BIL. I’ll try to paraphrase and keep it short.

NDSU has a lot more money than we do to play with. They could compete with the MWC right now, no problem at all.

Players at NDSU have a certainty of competing for, and likely winning a championship. We’re just barely getting to that point, and it’s yet to be seen if we can continue it (I believe we can).

NDSU has a better NFL track record than the majority of FBS schools around them. That absolutely matters.

I really believe NDSU’s biggest advantage is that they’re a big fish in a relatively big pond. They’re essentially in Minnesota, and any midwest player that doesn’t get a Big 10/12 offer is going to likely prefer to go to NDSU than Bowling Green or Ball State. And, the culture of the Midwest and the players there is just different than the PNW where we recruit heavily. It’s a huge advantage they have in that their recruiting area is bigger and better than ours.

It may be a big advantage but MSU is on a par with NDSU on the field. The Bobcats are in some ways better off than ndsu. The alumni base is bigger and better. I think if MSU’s fan base had a run like ndsu’s on, it would leave ndsu’s in the dust. The athletic complex going up here is better in most ways.

I'd sure like to see that break down. Why do you think the alumni base is bigger at MSU? What makes an alumni base better? And what would MSU be leaving in the dust?

MSU got beat after a blocked extra point. And you could say, hung in there last Monday. But, that was the best MSU team in the modern era by a long shot. Maybe my wounds are still gushing blood, but I dont see MSU ever beating NDSU, ever. Vigen got beat by a first year head coach. Vigen and his team looked lost and unprepared for the moment in the first half. That is mind blowing and unacceptable. If the 2024 Cats cant beat NDSU, then I dont see it being possible until NDSU takes about 10 steps backwards, which isnt going to happen.

MSU has an enrollment of 17,000 to their 12,000. MSU has had from 3,000 to 5,000 more students per year than they have had for the past 20 years.
Bigger is better. MSU has more multi millionaires in its alumni base and more people pumping money into the school. If MSU was on a championship run the fan turnout would leave ndsus in the dust.
It’s only a matter of time.

Your thoughts are the same people had in the mid-10s and the 90s about UM. Except in that case msu was 0-11 in 2000.

That may be but NDSU has a mega backer like Denny Washington in Tom Blattner who donated 15 million to finish their 50 million dollar practice facility. With the family they selling their business for 4.2 billion dollars he has plenty more where that came from. MSU athletics needs a whale.

MSU has at least one Billionaire Alum. I wish she loved Bobcat football.

[aucat]

Sad that it is coming to this. Tonight I watched a very talented Ohio State team whip Texas. Talk about two RICH programs. It's been said often that Ohio State has the best team money can buy. NIL has infected the FBS division to the core.

If billionaires start to buy up players in FCS on a big scale it will pretty much mean the end to any semblance of amateur college athletics, especially in football.

[TomCat88]

Somewhat surprising:

Why is that surprising? Isn't he just a sophomore? I guess with Miller leaving he could have bailed but I'm sure he's all about getting another trophy next year. Winning is contagious.

This may not be a popular opinion, but North Dakota State football culture is still different than ours. We still have our core, which is good and strong and getting better. But not everybody has bought in long-term. To be fair, I don’t know what the FOCA and additional NIL money that North Dakota state has, I assume it’s more than what we’ve got, but that is somewhat of a part of it as well.
Colter had mentioned whether or not somebody had amortized, if you will, the long-term cost to benefit analysis Of staying put in the program that developed you and gave you opportunities, and getting your degree rather than the gamble of some immediate return increase in NIL money and possible exposure.
As Alex Singleton stated, as of sophomore, he would’ve taken that money, not being from the state of Montana. But he also said some things have probably got to change.
Bryce Lance also might be a beneficiary of having a brother playing pro football, reducing the need for immediate money.

Funny enough, I was just talking about similar things with my BIL. I’ll try to paraphrase and keep it short.

NDSU has a lot more money than we do to play with. They could compete with the MWC right now, no problem at all.

Players at NDSU have a certainty of competing for, and likely winning a championship. We’re just barely getting to that point, and it’s yet to be seen if we can continue it (I believe we can).

NDSU has a better NFL track record than the majority of FBS schools around them. That absolutely matters.

I really believe NDSU’s biggest advantage is that they’re a big fish in a relatively big pond. They’re essentially in Minnesota, and any midwest player that doesn’t get a Big 10/12 offer is going to likely prefer to go to NDSU than Bowling Green or Ball State. And, the culture of the Midwest and the players there is just different than the PNW where we recruit heavily. It’s a huge advantage they have in that their recruiting area is bigger and better than ours.

It may be a big advantage but MSU is on a par with NDSU on the field. The Bobcats are in some ways better off than ndsu. The alumni base is bigger and better. I think if MSU’s fan base had a run like ndsu’s on, it would leave ndsu’s in the dust. The athletic complex going up here is better in most ways.

I'd sure like to see that break down. Why do you think the alumni base is bigger at MSU? What makes an alumni base better? And what would MSU be leaving in the dust?

MSU got beat after a blocked extra point. And you could say, hung in there last Monday. But, that was the best MSU team in the modern era by a long shot. Maybe my wounds are still gushing blood, but I dont see MSU ever beating NDSU, ever. Vigen got beat by a first year head coach. Vigen and his team looked lost and unprepared for the moment in the first half. That is mind blowing and unacceptable. If the 2024 Cats cant beat NDSU, then I dont see it being possible until NDSU takes about 10 steps backwards, which isnt going to happen.

MSU has an enrollment of 17,000 to their 12,000. MSU has had from 3,000 to 5,000 more students per year than they have had for the past 20 years.
Bigger is better. MSU has more multi millionaires in its alumni base and more people pumping money into the school. If MSU was on a championship run the fan turnout would leave ndsus in the dust.
It’s only a matter of time.

Your thoughts are the same people had in the mid-10s and the 90s about UM. Except in that case msu was 0-11 in 2000.

That may be but NDSU has a mega backer like Denny Washington in Tom Blattner who donated 15 million to finish their 50 million dollar practice facility. With the family they selling their business for 4.2 billion dollars he has plenty more where that came from. MSU athletics needs a whale.

MSU has at least one Billionaire Alum. I wish she loved Bobcat football.

I think not needing a billionaire alum is proof that MSU is ahead of schools that need them. MSU is accomplishing more than UM and is at least even with ndsu. The ndsu facility is spread across 4-5 sports and includes things that msu already has in place. The football setup (stadium, IPF and training/rehab) at MSU all being in the same location is a better setup than either of those schools.

[FTG_1984]

I am a big fan of Davis, I’m super happy he’s back, and his commitment is refreshing.

Humphrey is better.

No, Davis was the better RB when both were healthy. Davis biggest challenge is to just stay healthy with his style of running.

If utilized correctly by the offensive staff, Jones can be a better all-around RB then both of them.

[nanacat]

Gronowski signed with Iowa but is having surgery.
https://athlonsports.com/college/inside ... -practice-

[Bocephus]

Man anyone keeping track, Bobbi has signed like 47 portal players.

[GoldstoneCat]

I am a big fan of Davis, I’m super happy he’s back, and his commitment is refreshing.

Humphrey is better.

No, Davis was the better RB when both were healthy. Davis biggest challenge is to just stay healthy with his style of running.

If utilized correctly by the offensive staff, Jones can be a better all-around RB then both of them.

I think Davis has better vision and better understanding of how to run the scheme. Humphrey was great when healthy at hitting the hole at top speed and making the free hitter miss. I like Davis' slashing, cutting style better as I think its conducive to coming up with almost "hidden" yards during a game but it's hard to even compare the 2 because they play so much differently.

[Lord Vigo]

I am a big fan of Davis, I’m super happy he’s back, and his commitment is refreshing.

Humphrey is better.

No, Davis was the better RB when both were healthy. Davis biggest challenge is to just stay healthy with his style of running.

If utilized correctly by the offensive staff, Jones can be a better all-around RB then both of them.

Yeah I just disagree. Humphrey is more explosive, faster, and more powerful.

Jones could potentially become better but that’s still projection.

[AFCAT]

I am a big fan of Davis, I’m super happy he’s back, and his commitment is refreshing.

Humphrey is better.

No, Davis was the better RB when both were healthy. Davis biggest challenge is to just stay healthy with his style of running.

If utilized correctly by the offensive staff, Jones can be a better all-around RB then both of them.

Davis does run hard but injuries at MSU didn't really have anything to do with his style of running. He was injured in the Spring on a blindside, low hit to his legs after catching a pass in the flat. His injury during Cat-gris really was more to do with the tackle than his running style. I can't speak to injuries prior to that though. Davis does need to stay healthy for the Cats to have a great year in 2025.

[TomCat88]

I am a big fan of Davis, I’m super happy he’s back, and his commitment is refreshing.

Humphrey is better.

No, Davis was the better RB when both were healthy. Davis biggest challenge is to just stay healthy with his style of running.

If utilized correctly by the offensive staff, Jones can be a better all-around RB then both of them.

They’re tough to compare. In 2023, MSU was still in 2QB system with Davis.

Humphrey’s most impressive game, in terms of strength of opponent, was Idaho1. He wasn’t doing well vs ucd and got hurt (Davis came in was very effective, especially on TD drive to start second half). Davis was playing well vs UM but got hurt. Humphrey gave it a try but only had one carry.

Humphrey sat out the Martin and Idaho games going five weeks with just one carry (4 weeks no carries) before returning for USD and didn’t play well vs them or ndsu. It’s unclear if that was due to his injury from the usd game 5-7 weeks previously. He looked healthy prior to the ndsu game and by all accounts I got he was. Hard to say for sure.

[nanacat]

I am a big fan of Davis, I’m super happy he’s back, and his commitment is refreshing.

Humphrey is better.

No, Davis was the better RB when both were healthy. Davis biggest challenge is to just stay healthy with his style of running.

If utilized correctly by the offensive staff, Jones can be a better all-around RB then both of them.

They’re tough to compare. In 2023, MSU was still in 2QB system with Davis.

Humphrey’s most impressive game, in terms of strength of opponent, was Idaho1. He wasn’t doing well vs ucd and got hurt (Davis came in was very effective, especially on TD drive to start second half). Davis was playing well vs UM but got hurt. Humphrey gave it a try but only had one carry.

Humphrey sat out the Martin and Idaho games going five weeks with just one carry (4 weeks no carries) before returning for USD and didn’t play well vs them or ndsu. It’s unclear if that was due to his injury from the usd game 5-7 weeks previously. He looked healthy prior to the ndsu game and by all accounts I got he was. Hard to say for sure.

Or, knowing what we know now, was Humphrey saving himself.

[kwcat]

I am a big fan of Davis, I’m super happy he’s back, and his commitment is refreshing.

Humphrey is better.

No, Davis was the better RB when both were healthy. Davis biggest challenge is to just stay healthy with his style of running.

If utilized correctly by the offensive staff, Jones can be a better all-around RB then both of them.

Davis runs violent
We do need to be six running backs deep coming to fall

[kwcat]

I am a big fan of Davis, I’m super happy he’s back, and his commitment is refreshing.

Humphrey is better.

No, Davis was the better RB when both were healthy. Davis biggest challenge is to just stay healthy with his style of running.

If utilized correctly by the offensive staff, Jones can be a better all-around RB then both of them.

They’re tough to compare. In 2023, MSU was still in 2QB system with Davis.

Humphrey’s most impressive game, in terms of strength of opponent, was Idaho1. He wasn’t doing well vs ucd and got hurt (Davis came in was very effective, especially on TD drive to start second half). Davis was playing well vs UM but got hurt. Humphrey gave it a try but only had one carry.

Humphrey sat out the Martin and Idaho games going five weeks with just one carry (4 weeks no carries) before returning for USD and didn’t play well vs them or ndsu. It’s unclear if that was due to his injury from the usd game 5-7 weeks previously. He looked healthy prior to the ndsu game and by all accounts I got he was. Hard to say for sure.

Or, knowing what we know now, was Humphrey saving himself.

Careful. I already got criticized for alluding to the possibility of players doing exactly that!

[Cataholic]

Man anyone keeping track, Bobbi has signed like 47 portal players.

No kidding! And some of them are FBS dropdowns who never took a snap. Some are FBS walkons that never panned out. I am guessing a majority of them were essentially cut with the new limitations on size of FBS rosters. It will be an interesting experiment.

[TomCat88]

Davis vs:
SDSU 12-66
Weber 14-132
Sac 12-110
Idaho 11-84
UM 14-107
Ndsu dnp

Against five of the top six opponents he was very consistent and had 63 carries for 499 yards. 7.9 ypc.

[nanacat]

I am a big fan of Davis, I’m super happy he’s back, and his commitment is refreshing.

Humphrey is better.

No, Davis was the better RB when both were healthy. Davis biggest challenge is to just stay healthy with his style of running.

If utilized correctly by the offensive staff, Jones can be a better all-around RB then both of them.

They’re tough to compare. In 2023, MSU was still in 2QB system with Davis.

Humphrey’s most impressive game, in terms of strength of opponent, was Idaho1. He wasn’t doing well vs ucd and got hurt (Davis came in was very effective, especially on TD drive to start second half). Davis was playing well vs UM but got hurt. Humphrey gave it a try but only had one carry.

Humphrey sat out the Martin and Idaho games going five weeks with just one carry (4 weeks no carries) before returning for USD and didn’t play well vs them or ndsu. It’s unclear if that was due to his injury from the usd game 5-7 weeks previously. He looked healthy prior to the ndsu game and by all accounts I got he was. Hard to say for sure.

Or, knowing what we know now, was Humphrey saving himself.

Careful. I already got criticized for alluding to the possibility of players doing exactly that!

Haha ya, but I don't think you were wrong. I mean it was likely a combination of things, but still. Doesn't matter now.