The portal is here - kids can come and go whenever they want now. If they don't like something, they sulk or bolt. Why invest in something that isn't patient enough to develop? Why spend three years hoping someone develops, when they may not or they may leave before they do? Why subscribe to managing that drama, or wed yourself to it, it's exhausting?
Call me crazy, but I prefer reducing risk. I'm not saying to abandon it altogether, I'm saying minimize roster spots for it and be very selective about it. The class coming in is exactly how I see it working best, grab as many top 30 kids as you can and stuff in an interesting longer term guy like Furphy. Fill in with portal.
Long term development is a thing of the past. Not sure you've read about it, but it's why the old guard can't hack it anymore. Some guys are sticking to their guns about it (Shaka & Painter), but I see that strategy aging poorly in terms of being an NC contender longer term. They'll be forced to adapt at some point.
Look at Michigan - from an absolute bottom feeder to a top 12 team in one year, lead entirely by portal kids, and super fun. They'd be the team I pull for outside of BE this year.
Texas Tech - top 10 team out of no where, lead by JT Toppin (UNM transfer), with a starting lineup of nothing but transfers. I can go on and on.
Development - overrated. Get kids that have already proven they can develop elsewhere, and fine tune. It's where we are in the era of collegiate free agency. Development in 2 year chunks. GenZ doesn't have the patience to stare from the bench. What good did that do for the sophs watching 4 pros win a NC last year?