Transfer Portal

[chapmaja]

I was listening to the College Sports Channel on my radio the other day and they were talking with former GVSU, and current Miami (Oh) head coach Chuck Martin about the transfer portal. He basically said, this (he meant MAC, but it also applies to D2) is now the audition level of guys wanting to move up in level.

A perfect example was the guy who played multiple years for Miami, then entered the portal and transfered to to Cincy, and is now playing with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent. (He was upset the guy had like 20 tackles against Miami when they played after he transfered.)

I feel like the transfer portal has basically become what junior college was at one time. Guys didn't get the best offers out of high school, so they went to a JC, proved themselves and then went to a larger school.

Now I feel like the MAC and other Group of 5 level programs are the feeder programs for the Power 5, while the FCS, DII and to some extent DIII levels now turn into the feeder levels to replace players lost in the portal.

What are others opinions on this thought?

[Predatory Primates]

In one way I like that it gives another avenue for players to get to their highest level. It has gotten to the point that power 5 offers are more about what camps, clinics and academies you attended than anything else.

[Purple Mav Man]

This is just fine, IMO. The school shouldn’t own the player for 4-5 years. Scholarships (contracts) are year to year. Coaches complain now about players leaving, but coaches do the same thing when a better opportunity/more money comes about.

[KleShreen]

I don't know how I feel about any of it. I'm fine with free movement......but I also think that these players need to learn to commit to a school rather than a coach. Commit to an administration and campus and academic path, and trust the process of improvement at that school. Don't commit to a coach who can leave whenever they want. I'd *prefer* to see the default be that kids stick it out at their school after going through the recruiting process even if their coach leaves, but I also understand why you wouldn't want to do it, especially if your goal is reaching the NFL.

Personally, I think one move should be free and clear, no restrictions. I also think players should get the option to move anytime their head coach gets fired. I also think the player should be able to move if their coach changes jobs, but only to the school the coach goes to.

[Predatory Primates]

I'm fine with swapping 5x in 5 years. It's no skin off of my nose. I would prefer Pitt only give schollies away to kids who are actually on a degree path, though.

OTOH, I'm a huge KU fan, and the current free agency system at the P5 level is better than the lie they tried to sell for decades.

[chapmaja]

This is just fine, IMO. The school shouldn’t own the player for 4-5 years. Scholarships (contracts) are year to year. Coaches complain now about players leaving, but coaches do the same thing when a better opportunity/more money comes about.

It may be different at the D2 level, but at the DI level I am pretty sure the NCAA rules require that scholarships be a 4 year agreement now. This was in response to schools pulling scholarships for athletes who were not performing up to the standards a coach expected of a recruit. I will have to look and see if I still have access to the NCAA Bylaws. This may also be different is the sport is a sport that allows the splitting of scholarships (most do at all levels), or if the sport is a full scholarship only sport (football -FCS and I think FBS, but I might be wrong on FBS, basketball, and DI tennis I think are the only full ride only sports).

I don't have a problem allowing an athlete to transfer if the coach leaves. I think with NIL now in play, and what appears to be free transfers coming (based on recent court rulings), I think you are going to see football and basketball simply turn into the highest bidder battles among NIL collectives with no control over the system.

The bigger issue I have with all of this is the impact it is going to have on the Olympic sports. You already see major schools dumping so much money into football (and to a lesser extent basketball), that the Olympic sports are going to be the ones hurt the most. There is a site, hoopdirt, that lists all of the programs across all divisions of college athletics which have been cut in recent years.

https://hoopdirt.com/the-list-colleg...oogle_vignette

The issue is I don't see the number of sports added coming close to equalling the number of sports lost. Only two schools dropped football, while a third indefinately suspended their program. One was DII Florida Tech, while the others were DIII schools.

10 schools, 8 at the DI level have dropped at least 1 gender of swimming and diving,

Tennis is by far the hardest hit sport with 31 schools, dropping at least 1 gender's teams, of which 8 are DI and 9 are DII.

[BlazerLady]

Tonight we saw what the transfer portal and loosing over 20 1st and 2nd string players can do to a team.
Turning your back on your school, team and coach right before a bowl game is just unbelievable..

[Purple Mav Man]

Tonight we saw what the transfer portal and loosing over 20 1st and 2nd string players can do to a team.
Turning your back on your school, team and coach right before a bowl game is just unbelievable..

The meaningless bowl season happens to coincide with the end of the semester. That timing, along with no reason to play in an exhibition, makes for a lot of changes to rosters. I think it’s unfair to label it as turning their back on the school/team/coaches. Maybe the reverse happened?

[BigCatcirca73]

I love that the transfer portal can give a player and opportunity. The Missouri RB started out at D2 - then walked on at Missouri -then led the nation in rushing this season.

What I hate about the transfer portal is the avoidance of competition and the assurance of guaranteed playing time. Ohio State's starting QB left for Syracuse because the Buckeye coaches wouldn't guarantee that he'd be the starter next year.

[BlazerLady]

The meaningless bowl season happens to coincide with the end of the semester. That timing, along with no reason to play in an exhibition, makes for a lot of changes to rosters. I think it’s unfair to label it as turning their back on the school/team/coaches. Maybe the reverse happened?

That is possible and of course every situation is different. I can see maybe 5 or 6 opting out but over 20? Still not a good look for the football program. We may not ever know what really happened.

[BlazerLady]

I love that the transfer portal can give a player and opportunity. The Missouri RB started out at D2 - then walked on at Missouri -then led the nation in rushing this season.

What I hate about the transfer portal is the avoidance of competition and the assurance of guaranteed playing time. Ohio State's starting QB left for Syracuse because the Buckeye coaches wouldn't guarantee that he'd be the starter next year.

A coach can’t guarantee anything. A player has to earn his position and a little healthy competition is good in that respect. And sometimes you have to wait your turn to be promoted to a starter.
We had a player once who was upset because he wasn’t starting. We already had a great player at his position. There was no way they were going to let him start but he did play in a few games along the way. 2 years later he did become the starter. He waited his turn, worked on his skills and became one of the best players we have ever had. Now that’s commitment.
Oh well. It is what it is. I suspect D1 will eventually become semi-pro anyway. Lots of things are changing right now.

[Predatory Primates]

A coach can’t guarantee anything. A player has to earn his position and a little healthy competition is good in that respect. And sometimes you have to wait your turn to be promoted to a starter.
We had a player once who was upset because he wasn’t starting. We already had a great player at his position. There was no way they were going to let him start but he did play in a few games along the way. 2 years later he did become the starter. He waited his turn, worked on his skills and became one of the best players we have ever had. Now that’s commitment.
Oh well. It is what it is. I suspect D1 will eventually become semi-pro anyway. Lots of things are changing right now.

D1 has been professional for 50 plus years. The difference is that they have just recently stopped pretending otherwise.

[Argonut]

The meaningless bowl season happens to coincide with the end of the semester. That timing, along with no reason to play in an exhibition, makes for a lot of changes to rosters. I think it’s unfair to label it as turning their back on the school/team/coaches. Maybe the reverse happened?

One solution to the meaningless bowl situation is to double the playoff field to 24 with 8 byes in first round. Use the bowls for the 8 games in first two rounds, the 4 quarterfinal games and the 2 semifinal games for a total of 22 bowl games.

This would make half the bowls meaningful, put more fans in seats and cause more players to play, especially since they would be getting multiple bowl swag in a deep run in the playoffs.

The remaining and reduced number of non-playoff bowls might end up being more meaningful due to the scarcity of opportunities for the extra practices prized by the coaches.

Or you could take the 20 odd remaining bowl games and sponsor more opening week “Classics” and more in season rivalry Classics like the annual FAMU and Bethune Cookman game week.

[Purple Mav Man]

That is possible and of course every situation is different. I can see maybe 5 or 6 opting out but over 20? Still not a good look for the football program. We may not ever know what really happened.

Absolutely not a good look for the football program. Which leads me to believe it’s more on the program than the individual players. But…I don’t care enough about FSU football to look into it :)

[BlazerLady]

Absolutely not a good look for the football program. Which leads me to believe it’s more on the program than the individual players. But…I don’t care enough about FSU football to look into it :)

Sure. I get that. I have a little more attachment there since i grew up going to FSU games.