In Reply to: A correction, note of irony and trying to solve a weird puzzle posted by truk on August 14, 2025 at 19:38:42
And one the coaches actually want. I'd say maybe a 40% chance that Nico returns. So in that case we'd have a returner.
Or if not Nico, then it's almost certainly going to be among Duncan/Madden/Clarkson for the job.
I'm not sure why Happy laments the fact that Nico is probably one-and-done, because we'd still have met his magical "returning player" benchmark at QB, as Duncan/Madden/Clarkson will all be returning players. His original post listing the QB's for the Top 25 never referenced "returning starter", but rather "returning player". A lot of the guys on that list who are returning players are not returning starters (including Dante Moore).
Now, if we go out and get another transfer for 2026 and bypass two QB's this staff recruited (Madden/Clarkson) plus Duncan, then Happy may have some cause for grumbling.
Personally, though, if we can get a better QB in the portal (i.e., one with successful starting experience) in 2026 than Duncan/Madden/Clarkson, I'm all for it. Because, as I've shown, starting college experience is more important than just being a "returning player".
Ohio St. won it all last year with a one-and-done. Oregon, Notre Dame, and Indiana also used one-and-done's. A good one-and-done beats a mediocre returner every time.