Different Mentality
The lack of fight or care made last year’s team unlikeable, and frankly, unwatchable after about the third or fourth game. The hype surrounding last year’s team, combined with all of the returning players, made it even worse.
One of the biggest things I noticed early in fall camp was how Mike Norvell, the coaches, and the players talked about competition and the desire to “fight” to win. I believe the coaching staff has removed most of the players who allowed that type of culture to develop, and has done a better job evaluating players from the transfer portal who possess leadership qualities.
I think the young players who got a lot of playing time last year have a good spirit for competing, and are motivated to not go through what they went through last year again.
The players from the transfer portal have experience, but largely come from smaller schools or smaller roles and play with a chip on their shoulders.
Now, the games could be totally different if they come out and get punched in the mouth right off the bat against Alabama. However, how they respond will tell us if all of this was coach speak or not.