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Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to The Stride Report's first-ever edition of our Transfer Value Rankings! Some of our readers may be familiar with this concept if you're a fan of sports podcaster Bill Simmons and specifically, his now-famous NBA Trade Value Rankings. But for others, there may be some confusion and curiosity as to what our latest project is all about.
Before I go any further, allow me to make sure that everyone is on the same page: We are not saying that anyone listed in our rankings is transferring. Everything is strictly theoretical. This is NOT meant to be viewed as a source regarding actual transfer news.
Alright, now let's explain what this whole thing is.
Think of it like this: You're an NCAA distance coach. When you wake up one day, literally every single collegiate has entered the transfer portal. Naturally, your first goal would be to go after the most elite runners, right?
Well, in theory, that's only half true.
Yes, you would certainly want to get the most talented distance runners that you can, but you would also want to land athletes who are going to give you the most value over the long-term.
This means that runners with a ton of eligibility may actually be more valuable than some of their more accomplished veteran counterparts, although that certainly doesn't apply in every single scenario like that.
When you start throwing in separate intangibles, the debates surrounding this project can turn intense and ultimately become endless.
That explanation may have been confusing for some of you, but if you take a look at our actual Transfer Value Rankings page, then you may get a better idea of what I'm talking about.
Enjoy.
Oh, and one last note: We actually did two extensive podcast episodes about these rankings! Those conversations are exclusive to YouTube which you can watch below...