Darrien Starling
@DarrienStarling
Independent College Football Analyst & Insider | Former UTSA Football 🏈 CB
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Nearly 70% of the American’s top players are gone again. Some are out of eligibility or NFL-bound. Others have hit the portal. In my Substack article, I dug into what that says about the American Conference and what fans and donors have to adjust to ⬇️ open.substack.com/pub/theportala…
One of the more interesting things to watch in the American over the next few days is the recruiting battle between UTSA and UNT. Both teams will be competing for similar talent. This’ll be fun to watch 😅 New UTSA commit Jusiah Sampleton had offers from both.
USF is flexing the advantage of having more money than the rest of the conference. They’ve been aggressive in the market. They’re ranked top 20 in the country as far as transfers are concerned. The rest of the conference is forced to wait until the dust settles. 😳
Big moves in the American Conference: UTSA makes it official with Rick Bowie as OC. He's going to have the Roadrunners throwing the ball all over the yard. ECU makes it official with Jordon Hankins as DC, coming from Memphis👀. He'll bring stability and a lot of takeaways.
You watch your G5 program develop a guy. He balls out. Then a P4 waves life-changing money and he's gone. It's frustrating. But the mindset has shifted. Secure the bag in college first. The NFL is priority 2. Can't blame players for that logic but it's VERY tough on fans.
One January portal window simplifies everything. Roster decisions happen once a year. Spring will be more developmental, not defensive. Fans/donors can buy-in to their teams earlier in the year. It limits player movement but the tradeoff is roster stability. I’m good with it.
Public reporting shows a few AAC AD deals, like FAU and Memphis, include fundraising benchmarks. USF’s CEO model feels more modern, tying pay to growth, fundraising, and conference realignment. If roster funding is the priority, should AD compensation reflect that reality?
What I’m expecting in the American: -Tulane, USF, UNT, ECU & Memphis will target a new QB asap. All have 💰 to be aggressive -UTSA & FAU must replace offensive skill players and defenses. Both dark-horse destinations -Everyone else needs full roster overhauls, excl Army & Navy
I spoke with 3 NIL agents today about their players in the American Conference. Here’s the TLDR: • American Conference schools offer far less than rumors suggest • Players often look elsewhere if their position coach leaves • No chance in keeping a top WR if his QB leaves
ECU and Tulane losing 2 top DBs in the portal, even though they’re two teams in the American who are expected to have deep pockets. Some players are hurting their chances of going pro. Most aren’t going to walk into P4 starting lineups. Is it all down to money or bad advice?
As the transfer portal opens tomorrow, the team in the American I’m most intrigued to see is USF. Being one of the few G5 teams that will max out rev-share in 2026, I want to see how much of a splash they make compared to mid-tier P4 teams. Will be an interesting G5 case study.
I'm live in at 6pm to talk UTSA Football. I'll surely do my mea culpa for earlier today. I'll also share my perspective on all that's going on. I also have a few announcements to get through as well since I'm covering the American Conference now. Join me in 15min!
Update: Siddiq Haynes is taking a job at New Mexico State. Pavit Patel will be staying with UTSA.
As I dive more into the American Conference, there are a few team's who can offer 7-figure deals to top players. (USF, Memphis, Tulane, & ECU) Here's ECU's AD saying they're not trying to get/retain players on a discount. Some have the money to hit the market with confidence.
UTSA's expected OC hire, Rick Bowie, is a pass first play-caller. His offense in 2025 accounted for 407yds per game and 29.7ppg. Expect UTSA to be in the market for a new QB coach. UAB's DC hire Todd Grantham is experienced but play-called for the 125th OKST defense in 2025.
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