In Reply to: Sorry, I just don't believe it posted by TheGhostofPacoCraig on April 10, 2026 at 10:07:32
reading between the blurry lines leads me to that speculation that there's just not enough money to cover all the needs. No one, across the board, talks specifics. No one, across the board, reveals any specifics. No one really knows what's going on. Look, however, at the evidence, or at least the indications. Cronin's players all return. One has to conclude that they like playing for Cronin and/or they recognize he is good, in some way, for their well being and/or their career which really amounts to the same.
This isn't a secret. It's out there in the open for anyone to see. No one is holding a gun to any head forcing these guys to stay. This is on the record that players want to play for Cronin evidenced by his retention rate. So, interjecting that transfers and high school recruits don't want to play for Cronin just doesn't make complete sense. Sure there will always be those players that don't want to play for some coach. That's always a constant. But to make a blanket statement that 5* recruits or highly rated transfers don't want to play for Cronin is a generality based on nothing.
Cronin brought in two solid, but not highly rated transfers and two solid but not highly rated high school recruits. Another solid but not highly rated transfer is scheduled to visit Westwood this weekend. The scuttlebutt from folks who appear to have some sort of "inside" connections speculate that two more solid but not highly rated transfers are, to some level, on Cronin's radar as possibilities. It's being talked about that the coveted highly rated transfers are beyond UCLA's pocketbook. From all accounts it seems to appear that asking prices are going through the roof.
Again, we really don't know because nothing concrete and specific is being revealed. Cronin has publicly stated that he needs more money. I could be wrong, but to me it seems that Cronin and UCLA don't have enough money to retain all their guys and to fill 5 or 6 slots and still have enough money in all that to effectively go after 2 or 3 of those big money boys to fill a few of those needed open slots.
Regardless of why this is so, this seems to be the reality. All coaches are limited by their circumstances. Cronin has already alluded to his circumstances. He flat out said he needed more money. What we seem to be seeing is the results of those circumstances. I would like to be wrong. I would like to see Cronin bring in 1,2,or 3 highly rated transfers, but don't be surprised if that doesn't happen. And if that doesn't happen we have already been told why that may be.