Three Cheers for the Transfer Portal
If college coaches can leave for greener pastures, players can too, thanks to the NCAA transfer portal.
The college football season is winding down, with bowl games and College Football Playoff championship games right around the corner.
But something else has been making headlines lately that has nothing to do with the play on the field (at least not directly): the exit and relocation of head coaches in several high-profile programs.
The season isn’t even over yet, and already we’ve seen Lincoln Riley say so long to Oklahoma for what he hopes will be greener pastures at USC. Brian Kelly abruptly leaves Notre Dame to take over at LSU, despite his team being in line for a College Football Playoff selection (which ultimately didn’t happen).
The University of Miami just fired its head coach, Manny Diaz, and has already named Oregon coach Mario Cristobal as his successor.
All of this is not unusual. Coaches change teams every year in college sports for more money, a bigger/better program, or because they were fired. The ripple effects of these moves are more far-reaching than the coaches and their families.
Recruit, Then You’re Gone
When a coach walks into the home of a potential recruit, he’s obviously going to extol the virtues of his current program to that kid and his family. He’ll have conversations with that recruit’s high school coach and anyone else who has influence. If the kid is interested enough, he’ll pay a recruiting visit to the campus, fall in love with it, and ultimately commit to attend there upon graduation from high school.
But what happens if that coach leaves before the kid ever arrives? The Miami situation is a prime example of a coach who didn’t have complete control over the situation. The school is currently looking for an athletic director, but they went ahead and interviewed Cristobal while Diaz was still on the job, recruiting as if everything is perfectly normal.
Then, Diaz gets the boot.
What does that do to those kids he’s been recruiting? Some may still attend based on other factors of the school like their academics, the culture of the entire campus or other aspects of the team they’ll be playing for. But others will change their plans and de-commit. Some players currently on the team may enter the transfer portal and leave the program.
That’s already happening at USC and Oklahoma. Shortly after Riley announced his intention to leave the Sooners, five players and an assistant coach announced they were leaving USC. The players will enter the NCAA transfer portal, while defensive line coach Vic So’Oto announced he was not being retained by the team.
At Oklahoma, wide receiver Jadon Haselwood posted on Twitter that he would transfer to Arkansas.
Several other Sooner players announced they were entering the transfer portal, including quarterback Spencer Rattler.
At the time of this writing, many Notre Dame players expressed their desire to stay despite Kelly leaving for LSU. Many expressed shock at the move, especially since Kelly had previously indicated he had no interest in the job. But the announcement that defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman would replace Kelly as the Fighting Irish’s head coach was greeted with enthusiasm by many of the players.
Strictly Business
College sports is big business. Like the pro game, loyalty is less of a factor than in the past, as coaches are fired annually or leave for bigger opportunities when 10-year contracts worth $10 million a year are dangled in front of them like carrots.
Up until a few years ago, moves like this would leave players in a lurch. Oh, they could transfer, but they had to sit out a year before they could play at their new school. Only if a program folded or some other unforeseen circumstance could a player leave one program and go to another the following year.
Thankfully, that is no longer the case. Since the NCAA created the transfer portal, players are finally free to leave and play somewhere else the next year if they feel a situation isn’t right for them. No longer do they have to be penalized for making a commitment to a coach they thought was making a commitment to them, only to see that coach leave the same year or later.
I’m not saying this merry-go-round is ideal for everyone. I’ve never been a believer in long-term contracts, especially 10 years or longer. More often than not, those deals are bought out after five years or even less in some cases. Schools are also quick to fire coaches after two or three years if they don’t turn the program around fast enough to suit fans, boosters or the administration.
I’m also not saying players being allowed to come and go at will is always healthy or the right decision for them. After all, things change. In pro sports, the coaching carousel is no different. In the real world of “regular” jobs, you don’t usually get to pick your boss or co-workers, but until you can find something better, you stay because you have to eat and pay rent.
But it’s no secret that sports doesn’t live in the real world most of the time. It’s a completely different animal, with billions of dollars and big television contracts on the line. If coaches are allowed to move on to a better offer, or are dismissed by the school because they went 8-4 instead of 12-0, players should have that same freedom. It may not be ideal for fans, but business is business.
Ultimately, players should be allowed to decide what’s best for them, just as a coach or program gets to decide their own futures. Like the recent name, image and likeness (NIL) policy adopted by the NCAA, players are finally starting to be treated like student-athletes, instead of athletic students.
The transfer portal may not be perfect, but it’s always good to have options.
Hot Takes and Great Reads
Here’s a cool holiday idea, especially if you have a hockey player in your family.
The Hockey Tree turns hockey sticks into a Christmas tree! It can be set up in seconds (try doing that with a traditional tree). If you’re on a youth hockey team, you can participate in the annual Hockey Tree Faceoff, with proceeds supporting youth hockey.
Here’s how it works. Simply purchase a “tree”, be creative in your decorating, then post your tree on Instagram, Twitter or the Hockey Tree Facebook page with the hashtag #HockeyTreeFaceoff. Then, challenge two friends. Simple as that.
Find out more about this intriguing Christmas promotion here.
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It’s always nice to hear about college programs giving back to their communities, especially during the holidays.
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), has partnered with Haven for Hope to assemble and donate Cardinal Care Kits to homeless people and families in the area. UIW, located in San Antonio, Texas, helped raise more than $2,500 worth of donations.
Each kit includes socks, underwear, gloves, granola bars, cracker packs, tuna kits, trail mix, applesauce, yogurt, reusable water bottles, a hair comb, hair ties, deodorant, sanitary napkins, nail clippers, and many other valuable items.
“This is our second time raising donations for Haven for Hope, and we are thrilled that we can increase awareness about a huge social issue in the country,” UIW Life Skills Coordinator Amanda Pulido said in a news release. “The donations raised will go directly to those who need it most. SAAC was intentional with what project they picked this year and how they wanted to execute it. We are praying that our kids can bring a little more comfort and relief to 106 people.”
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How many high schools do you know of that have a water polo team?
There are probably more than I realize. But I just heard the University Interscholastic League (UIL), the governing body of high school events in Texas, is adding the sport starting in the fall of 2022.
Water polo was scheduled to become a UIL sport in 2020, but was delayed mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will become the league’s first sport to be added since wrestling in 1998.
I bet there are a few students who can’t wait for that season to start.
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