No matter how a coach chooses to build a roster, he must win in the transfer portal to win on the field

Key Highlights

• He took that model to Oregon, where he tried to build the Ducks as Saban built the Crimson Tide. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut when Cristobal left Oregon in December 2021 to return to his alma mater, Miami, the rules by which rosters were constructed had been completely upended.
• Gone was the idea of sitting out a year after a transfer, which had acted as a major deterrent to player movement.
• Plus, as of July 2021, players were allowed to make NIL deals and get paid. No one knew at the time how the new ecosystem would play out, but Cristobal developed a strategy that he believed would work in the new world.
• There were now three types of players to target, and the Hurricanes needed to excel at evaluating and recruiting all three types.“We have a really good blend of portal players that are older who have a year left and portal players that have multiple years,” said Cristobal.
• “And then you have high school signees.