Whew lots to digest here. I personally don’t put all that much stock in the rankings of a recruiting class, at least not the way you can in football. It is definitely improving as a metric in softball but it still has a ways to go. But that’s just me.
As for the transfers. Evolve or die. The transfer portal is here & it is changing the landscape of softball, like it or not. Most of the top programs have or have had transfers come in and make immediate MAJOR impact on the success of that program. OU currently has 3 transfers in their starting line up: Juarez, Snow, & Johns. Echols & Lindaman carry a brunt of the Florida offense. Arnold in the circle for FSU now & they also don’t win the natty in 2018 without Hansen. 2 years ago Bama doesn’t win the SEC without the arms of Cornell & Goodman to pick up the slack when Fouts was hurt. Arkansas has Burnside & Gibson jacking homers all day. Kenny G has made OSU a contender with transfers like Show, Eberle, & Busby. Texas lol. I could continue but I gotta stop procrastinating work. I think you only hurt your program if you aren’t willing to challenge your current roster by adding talent when it’s available to make your ball club its most competitive. Transfers are such a viable & enticing option because you have a better idea of how that athlete competes at the D1 level. Sometimes great TB players don’t develop beyond the level you recruited them at. I think Glasco plans to rely less on transfers in the future. But if a talented player wants to come to Louisiana to play for our team, why wouldn’t you want them there? I want to win as long as we do it with integrity & class, if we have a few transfers that help us get a Natty, then lets GEAUX!