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The College Football Transfer Portal is Killing the Game

Flat Water

Recruit
2 Year Member
I was pretty upset that Wan'Dale Robinson decided to transfer. He was a huge contributor, but it was even more than that for me. I loved his heart, and I thought he was all in. He seemed like the kind of guy that Frost could re-build the program around. And then he left. And now I hear that Luke McCaffrey may be leaving. Those are two guys I really enjoyed watching play and was proud to have on "my" team. In short, I'm pretty distraught about this.

And the Huskers aren't alone in this situation. There are many other teams with several players leaving. The attitude seems to be that, if everything doesn't go my way, I'm going to take my ball and go home.

There has long ceased to be any reason for an NFL fan to have team loyalty. The players are essentially mercenaries who go to the highest bidder. Moreover, with the exception of a team like the Packers, the team owner can simply pick up and move to a new city if he gets a better stadium deal. The St. Louis Rams fans found that out the hard way. They rooted for the team that had "St. Louis" on the jersey but found out that the Rams weren't "their" team in any real sense. And the team doesn't belong to the residents of LA, either. It belongs to Stan Kroenke, and I'm sure he'd move it to Mars if he could make more money doing so. So why should the residents of any city root for the NFL team that happens to play 50% of its games in their city? As Seinfeld once insightfully put it, you're just rooting for the laundry.

I thought college football was different. I frankly thought there was more team loyalty. Admittedly, we don't have to worry about the Huskers moving from Lincoln for a better stadium deal, but apparently we do need to worry about losing several players every year through the transfer portal. As the transfer portal grows, the team will cease to have much of its continuity from year to year as more and more players are only around for a couple of years. And if I am not following players over a multi-year career, I'm going to stop caring about them as much.

I suppose you could argue that it isn't so much that the players have less team loyalty now as it is that they can now do something about it if they are unhappy. Maybe all that's happened is that the myth of team loyalty has been destroyed. Either way, though, it makes the sport less appealing.
 
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I wonder if this is why it feels like a stronger regional approach to recruiting is being taken? Also, I agree that the number of transfers is a negative. Commitment should mean something.

And it isn't going back to the way it was.

The coaches who can answer the question "how do I utilize the transient nature of athletes to my advantage" the best will be ok. And also figure out how to identify that potential in recruiting.

I keep going back to all of the guys who have transferred away. How many of them got picked up and dropped into a Better program that is winning at a higher level in a top conference?

The transfer portal is almost always, in my opinion, a demotion for the guys who enter it. Not always true, though. I think Grad Transfers can find themselves in a better situation, but guys entering the transfer portal with several years left often seem to end up at one of those schools who get paid to take a beating from the big dogs.
 
I expect a correction at some point but if a coach gets fired the entire roster can leave which is problematic. But I played college football and did transfer and had to sit out on year. If you are a college kid its easy to get distracted and make a rash decision to transfer. I am with the athletes they should get a 1 time transfer. Especially when a new coach comes in and you dont have any interest in playing for the new staff
 



I was pretty upset that Wan'Dale Robinson decided to transfer. He was a huge contributor, but it was even more than that for me. I loved his heart, and I thought he was all in. He seemed like the kind of guy that Frost could re-build the program around. And then he left. And now I hear that Luke McCaffrey may be leaving. Those are two guys I really enjoyed watching play and was proud to have on "my" team. In short, I'm pretty distraught about this.

And the Huskers aren't alone in this situation. There are many other teams with several players leaving. The attitude seems to be that, if everything doesn't go my way, I'm going to take my ball and go home.

There has long ceased to be any reason for a NFL fan to have team loyalty. The players are essentially mercenaries who go to the highest bidder. Moreover, with the exception of a team like the Packers, the team owner can simply pick up and move to a new city if he gets a better stadium deal. The St. Louis Rams fans found that out the hard way. They rooted for the team that had "St. Louis" on the jersey but found out that the Rams weren't "their" team in any real sense. And the team doesn't belong to the residents of LA, either. It belongs to Stan Kroenke, and I'm sure he'd move it to Mars if he could make more money doing so. So why should the residents of any city root for the NFL team that happens to play 50% of its games in their city? As Seinfeld once insightfully put it, you're just rooting for the laundry.

I thought college football was different. I frankly thought there was more team loyalty. Admittedly, we don't have to worry about the Huskers moving from Lincoln for a better stadium deal, but apparently we do need to worry about losing several players every year through the transfer portal. As the transfer portal grows, the team will cease to have much of its continuity from year to year as more and more players are only around for a couple of years. And if I am not following players over a multi-year career, I'm going to stop caring about them as much.

I suppose you could argue that it isn't so much that the players have less team loyalty now as it is that they can now do something about it if they are unhappy. Maybe all that's happened is that the myth of team loyalty has been destroyed. Either way, though, it makes the sport less appealing.
Good post! Per bolded, that is why there are WAYYYYY more players in the portal than positions available.....and why one of our "highly recruited" transfers this year ended up at Toledo.....
 
Good post! Per bolded, that is why there are WAYYYYY more players in the portal than positions available.....and why one of our "highly recruited" transfers this year ended up at Toledo.....
I don’t like the portal.I don’t like the players being paid and probably having agents etc.Don’t like again,this is that the scholarships given to the student-athletes are for four years,but the athlete can transfer with no questions and the school is left hanging.Again,this post is just my opinion.Still love our Huskers,always will.Keep the faith.GBR.
 
I don’t like the portal.I don’t like the players being paid and probably having agents etc.Don’t like again,this is that the scholarships given to the student-athletes are for four years,but the athlete can transfer with no questions and the school is left hanging.Again,this post is just my opinion.Still love our Huskers,always will.Keep the faith.GBR.
I agree, I totally hate it...but it is the reality of the situation and we have to deal with it....Thankfully, the impatience of the players is starting to make it (easily more in portal than spots available) where players (except true stars like Wandale) may not be able to go to a school they consider an "upgrade" or their favorite school so they end up at Toledo. Right now, it is so easy to go to the portal...but what is finally starting to become reality to all these players is that the portal is no longer the "greener grass on the other side of the fence" as it was earlier in its' infancy. Did our transfer from Florida really say, "I have to get to Toledo no matter what, it is imperative for me getting to the NFL."? Of course not. But his top choices basically had zero open slots. Or maybe he has a significant other going to Toledo so then it may be love in that case.
 
I agree, I totally hate it...but it is the reality of the situation and we have to deal with it....Thankfully, the impatience of the players is starting to make it (easily more in portal than spots available) where players (except true stars like Wandale) may not be able to go to a school they consider an "upgrade" or their favorite school so they end up at Toledo. Right now, it is so easy to go to the portal...but what is finally starting to become reality to all these players is that the portal is no longer the "greener grass on the other side of the fence" as it was earlier in its' infancy. Did our transfer from Florida really say, "I have to get to Toledo no matter what, it is imperative for me getting to the NFL."? Of course not. But his top choices basically had zero open slots. Or maybe he has a significant other going to Toledo so then it may be love in that case.
Good response.Thanks for your input.Keep the faith.GBR.
 



Yet another concession for the I want it now generation.

Certainly may need to redefine terms like committed (guess they already talk about soft commit). POB & Vedral are on to their 3rd FBS school. How long until someone plays for 4 schools in 4 years - doubt it will be long, perhaps it's happened already? Guess the next step/extreme will be game by game transfers within a season or switch sides within a game. :O O:;)
Honestly not a fan of the portal. Gonna need to adjust some scholarship rules accordingly if the mobility persists or increases.
 
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What you are watching with 1,400 plus kids in the portal is a lack of grit and persistence. Certainly, NOT all the fault of the kids alone.
ThIs would probably would have happened in previous years had it been allowed. Every person on this board that went to college either thought of, or actually did transfer colleges at some point. It’s the nature of the beast. For most cases, I blame the kids a lot less than the parents TBH. They are easily half of the equation when it comes to PT for their kids and ensuring their happiness (not sure transferring is always in their best interest, or the proper decision tho).
Wait until you see how fickle it gets when we start folding NIL into the mix....
 
Joe Burrow could have stayed at Ohio State and never played a game. Would that have been fair to him based on his abilities? His decision to transfer paid off as he is a multi millionaire. Everyone on this board would do the same as Burrow if they were in same situation. If he didn’t transfer he would probably be selling insurance.

The whole point of college is to have fun and have the opportunity to make more money in the future. If a guy feels he is not getting an opportunity to play or show off his abilities, he should be able to transfer. Look at Vedral. While he probably doesn’t have NFL abilities, he is at least playing. He may be riding bench at UCF or Nebraska if he stayed. Probably more fun starting than being 3rd string.

Players may commit to a school but then don’t like it. If a guy commits but doesn’t make any good friends, why should he stay for 4 years. What if a guy lives in Miami is whole life and then is exposed to weather like we have in Nebraska - he may just want to leave.

Wandale wants to go pro. Had he stayed at Nebraska maybe he gets stuck playing running back averaging 3 yards a carry and being overthrown on his pass routes. He won’t get drafted with those stats. Going to Kentucky could help or further hinder his ability to go pro. We will just have to see how it pans out for him but he should have the ability to transfer.

Frost left UCF after 2 years. No one seemed to care he was breaking his contract. This was obviously a higher paying and more prestigious job. Everyone on this board would do the same if in same position. Players should get same opportunity.

If Stepp and Toudre turn out to be All-Americans we won’t complain about transfer rule.

If Nebraska starts winning again we won’t care if a guy plays one year or 4 at Nebraska.
 
The game, like society has changed. And yes it is disappointing. However, we either need to embrace it or be content to continue to be a bottom feeder. Fred Hoiberg built his program at IA State on the portal. Where would tOSU have been this year without Justin Fields and Trey Sermon?

I am very happy we picked up a RB and WR (not so sure the N. Iowa LB was worthy of taking but I could totally be wrong). It’s shocking though to see the way our QBs performed and not want to at least create some competition in the QB room. Transfer evaluation/recruiting needs to have a higher priority. Maybe a couple of staffers devoted exclusively to searching out, evaluating and recruiting transfers. With the additional staffers they can reach out to kids in the portal who may not have a home and say, “hey, we are out of scholarships. However, if you walk on we will help you work the financial aid system and if you perform, there will be a scholarship in year 2.”

Evolve or perish.
 
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I think because of the portal , no reason to redshirt any player that is good enough to get on the field, your only saving them for the next team. The days of having multiple 5th year seniors starting are pretty much over....
 
Joe Burrow could have stayed at Ohio State and never played a game. Would that have been fair to him based on his abilities? His decision to transfer paid off as he is a multi millionaire. Everyone on this board would do the same as Burrow if they were in same situation. If he didn’t transfer he would probably be selling insurance.

The whole point of college is to have fun and have the opportunity to make more money in the future. If a guy feels he is not getting an opportunity to play or show off his abilities, he should be able to transfer. Look at Vedral. While he probably doesn’t have NFL abilities, he is at least playing. He may be riding bench at UCF or Nebraska if he stayed. Probably more fun starting than being 3rd string.

Players may commit to a school but then don’t like it. If a guy commits but doesn’t make any good friends, why should he stay for 4 years. What if a guy lives in Miami is whole life and then is exposed to weather like we have in Nebraska - he may just want to leave.

Wandale wants to go pro. Had he stayed at Nebraska maybe he gets stuck playing running back averaging 3 yards a carry and being overthrown on his pass routes. He won’t get drafted with those stats. Going to Kentucky could help or further hinder his ability to go pro. We will just have to see how it pans out for him but he should have the ability to transfer.

Frost left UCF after 2 years. No one seemed to care he was breaking his contract. This was obviously a higher paying and more prestigious job. Everyone on this board would do the same if in same position. Players should get same opportunity.

If Stepp and Toudre turn out to be All-Americans we won’t complain about transfer rule.

If Nebraska starts winning again we won’t care if a guy plays one year or 4 at Nebraska.
You make some very valid points. I firmly believe these guys in the portal, for whatever reason, must, and I stress must, sit out a year before eligible to play again. If you don’t do that, what happens if a Penn State or Baylor issue pops up again somewhere and the entire team enters the portal? Or if a loved coach is fired, and players plan a mass exodus? That could permanently kill any program. Should there be exceptions for some? Yes. Situations apply for sure, and that should be handled promptly. I see both sides of the fence. It’s pretty much a semi-pro, minor league ball now. The checks will be coming soon. College ball as we knew it, is dead.
 

You make some very valid points. I firmly believe these guys in the portal, for whatever reason, must, and I stress must, sit out a year before eligible to play again. If you don’t do that, what happens if a Penn State or Baylor issue pops up again somewhere and the entire team enters the portal? Or if a loved coach is fired, and players plan a mass exodus? That could permanently kill any program. Should there be exceptions for some? Yes. Situations apply for sure, and that should be handled promptly. I see both sides of the fence. It’s pretty much a semi-pro, minor league ball now. The checks will be coming soon. College ball as we knew it, is dead.
Good post. I thought it was a little harsh (there at the end) ..... but it’s hard to argue against any of your points. It’s really sad but think you are right and it needed to be said.
 

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