Here’s a story about a large number of players, including 2 captains, leaving Hawaii. Sounds like playing for Todd Graham isn’t that much fun. Also mentions 12 players from Nevada have entered the portal! I think I’d be asking the coaching staff lots of questions if they were recruiting my son (or trying to get someone else out of the portal)
To follow up on that article, 8 of the Navada portal players signed with Colorado State - the school their coach bailed to! I’m addition, 5 recruits recommitted and ended up at ( wait for it, wait for it…..) Colorado State!
Players today are not going to tolerate the "disciplinarian, borderline abusive" style of coaching nor should they. I think that it's a very good thing when coaches like that are shown the door as a result of players leaving their programs through the portal.
I don’t think they should either. It’s interesting that in the case of Hawaii and Reno, we see the two opposites, players leaving to get away from a coach and players transferring to follow a coach.
The problem with Hawaii is it would take about $1M to buyout Graham and they are exactly flush with cash. On a related note, ASU paid Graham roughly $12M (!!) when they fired him!
Todd Graham is awful. Just willing to take the money that’s out there. I wouldn’t believe a thing the dude said if I was a parent of a kid he was recruiting.
Left Rice after 1 year to go to Tulsa, who was in the same conference so it’s not like he went to a bigger school. Also left Pitt after 1 year to go to Arizona St. This was when Pitt was in the Big East and that conference still got a BCS bowl bid so it’s not like he went from a non Power 5 to a Power 5 school.
Repeatedly leaving after 1 year at a school is not a good look, especially under the circumstances Graham did it under where it wasn’t a real upgrade.
Hawaii knew what they were getting, so it’s really the school that’s at fault. A clue was that Arizona State was willing to forfeit 12M to get rid of him after a few seasons with not horrendous results.
Peyton Dixon update - from the New Mexico football website.
"2021 (Redshirt Sophomore Season): Saw action in three games, with one start … rushed 29 times for 120 yards … also returned six kickoffs for 135 yards on the season … made his season debut against his old club, rushing five times for 21 yards and returning three kickoffs for 72 yards with a long of 29 … rushed just once aginst Boise State, but returned three kicks for 63 yards with a long of 25 yards … started in the finale against Utah State, and despite his hand in a cast, he rushed for 95 yards on 23 carries, with a long of 23 yards."