... even more the "face of the program" than ever before.
BITD, Cade McNown was the FOTP... not Bob toledo. It was, "in Cade we trust", as we saw him get progressively better year after year.
But now, I'd guess that the one position that sees the MOST player movement is QB.
I think starting QBs move around each year WAY more than, say, the starting centers move around.
QBs want to get into a better system. Or play with better players. Play for a team with a better chance to win it all. Play for a better coach. Sometimes they'll take a pay cut or equal pay to go to a place they want to be. (For the next season, at least.)
Which I don't begrudge. Go for it.
But when I assess my emotional attachment to Ucla football, I realize that I'd feel more excitement about portal developments if I felt good about the HC. I liked chip (I realize 99% didn't), so each portal get was exciting to me. Now, I'm not optimistic about DF, the head coach. The player? Absolutely. The human being? Unequivocally. The guy who has to compete with Ryan Day and Dan Lanning? Next!
So these guys go, these other guys join... it all leaves me rather flat. I'm not optimistic that any of these new "assets" will ever payoff before they, too, move on to the next stop in hopes of catching lightning in a bottle.
Hopefully, Ucla plays better in 2025 than it did in 2024. Maybe that will inspire some confidence and will keep guys tethered to the program so that we can see the growth and Ucla fb gets the payoff, not some other program.