Purdy to the portal(no surprise), CUSD NLI Day musings…

On Wednesday, I stopped at Hamilton, Basha, and Casteel to see the NLI festivities. Having been a parent of four CUSD kids over the last 20+ years, what goes on in recruiting in this part of the Valley directly reflects the state.  While the number of players signing their letters is down(more on that later), the quality is still off the charts. Ohio State, Oklahoma, Arizona, BYU, Fresno State, Utah State, Northern Arizona, Illinois State, Army, and Georgetown all came to the CUSD and signed players. Happy family, friends, and coaches at all three stops( I wasn’t at Chandler, Perry, or ACP)

I spoke with a couple of administrators over my stops, and there was an agreement that the number of high school players getting their college scholarships is dropping in the early signing period. With the college transfer portal well into the thousands of players who still don’t have a home, why would a college take a spot for a high school player who doesn’t already have college experience? So, we are starting to see the NIL and portal, and it will continue to change the face of Letter of Intent Day. 

Here’s my favorite moment from NLI day…

A #NLI highlight. @CasteelFootball head coach Bobby Newcombe speaking about his son @newcombe_jj who signed today with @SoonerFootball pic.twitter.com/c62dFl3I1v

— Brad Cesmat (@bradcesmat) December 20, 2023

As expected, former Perry High School quarterback Chubba Purdy put his name in the portal to move on from Nebraska on Wednesday afternoon. Good for him! He will land on his feet sooner than later. His college journey is one of the more complex stories I’ve been around. There’s no need to peel the onion back tonight, but going in the portal was the right move for many reasons.

Good luck to @chubbapurdy who has decided to enter the transfer portal pic.twitter.com/yACmL8kCOw

— Brad Cesmat (@bradcesmat) December 20, 2023

Having a 1.5 million dollar NIL quarterback coming on campus, whose uncle is on the coaching staff, and whose dad is a well-known alumnus at Nebraska are wise/prudent reasons to move on; Business will win out over competition almost every time. Chubba got his degree from Nebraska last Saturday and now needs to play football without having any factors possibly de-rail him from getting a fair shot to play.

Looking forward to seeing his next stop…