A baller. We’re going to miss him.

Shouldn't be unexpected for the recruiting/coaching staff. What was a strength in 2022 and 2023 could still be a strength in 2024, but they'll need to reload with a few transfer guys. They'll definitely have a spot to play in Davis.

Yup, the TV broadcast for the Sac St game mentioned he walked for Senior Day, so I imagine he was transparent with the coaching staff and he's departing on good terms.

Was anyone there to see which other non-seniors walked for Senior Day?

The coaching staff has little choice but to accept that some players won’t hang around after playing for four or more years and earning a degree. They know it too, which is likely why the roster makes no attempt to list players by eligibility; it’s a jumble of academic year and eligibility.
Buchanan was in the 2020 recruit class. Hastings, Tompkins, Budgett, Cloyd and Chaz Davis are class of 2019

He'll be missed for sure. He's a great football player and an outstanding teammate. Some school will be thrilled to get him. I wonder who will be the next Aggie to hit the portal?

Well with Dan stepping down I wouldn't be surprised to see more enter. We'll also have to see what this does to our recruiting class with the first signing date less than a month away.

Plough will juice up the offense.

He hasn't been hired yet, but he had some fun offensive schemes while here.

His last team here 2019 was only slightly better offensively than this season.

Was that Randy Wright as QB?

Jake Maier

Chubba to the portal

Don't forget, Ulonzo Gilliam entered the portal and came back.

I think Dan probably had the class to let the team know his decision to resign before this news dropped today so players entering the portal were probably already in the works. A HC leaving is a big deal to these kids, especially if it's the one to recruit them. I think we are going to see more transfer announcements before this all plays out... not that there aren't transfers every year, but I think the rate will be higher than normal.

Teddye Buchanan gets his (first?) offer from Stanford. Right next to his hometown too.

https://twitter.com/teddyebuchanan/status/1729683205060505833?s=21&t=seRiN-zhSAzdA_W0yomaIw

Wow...I wonder is we could really lose a lot of talent with players hitting the portal now that Hawk is leaving?

Defense is going to take a step back. Between graduation and transfers lose two of our three nose tackles, three starting linebackers.. The other two starters on the DL are going to be sixth year seniors if they come back. Zach Kennedy would be attractive to many teams. Budgett in the secondary has also been here 5 years.
I don’t think we’ll lose players because of Hawkins leaving, i think it’s because of the longer college careers. Once the Covid year effect is over the amount of transfers will drop off.

Looks like Teddye has already received offers from Cal and Stanford. Good for him!

I would like to think a player would have at least one offer before entering the portal. Or is that tampering?

I think that would be illegal under the NCAA rules. Supposedly, teams can not contact players prior to them officially declared for the portal but I think we all know that there are ways that many schools find to get the message out to players "through the grapevine."

Zach Kennedy to the portal

But how many tackles for gains did he have ? Transfer portal sounds like a space teleportation device.

I think things are going to get pretty rough for a while for Aggie football. Our defense is taking some hits: Buchanan, Maae and Kennedy to the portal already.

Well I'm hoping that we get a new HC in ASAP to help save the recruiting class we have put together and to start looking through the portal and JUCO guys to fill things out. We gotta get the right guy, but we gotta get it done quickly.

All the stars on defense are notably leaving - it would've been nice to see some more offensive output this season, maybe win another 1 or 2 games, had a better run at it...honestly, I'd want to take off too with Hawk gone, and the offensive prospects floundering at improvement unless LL comes back.

FWIW, from the Cal board.

December 4th is the day when undergraduate students can officially enter the portal. Right now grad students can enter. And players whose coach has left the school can enter.

You are seeing posts from players saying they are intending to transfer and will enter "officially" on Dec 4.

In addition, back channel communications allegedly happen before players even enter the portal. Estimates are that upwards of 1500 undergrads may enter this year.

Many of the stars on defense are leaving not because the offense was bad but because they’ve graduated or been here four or five years so they can graduate if they want to.

Yeah, that's true, but I also just wish that with such a peak on the defensive side of the ball, the offense could've put out a bit more to make the team more complete. Felt like we could've really had something, but it just wasn't figured out in time...and Larison going down proved to be such a huge loss that it anchored the output.

if they had had 2022’s offensive production then we would be in the playoffs, probably with a bye.
I’m disappointed in the defense also, not that they weren’t good, but they seemed to have periods of ineffectiveness, like the 3rd quarter against Eastern Washington. We had a set of linebackers that we are unlikely to equal for some time, playing behind the biggest line we ever had.