If one could summarize the portal era in a coach’s statement.
Etienne and Lovett were two of the lowest drafted Dawgs this past season, despite their upsides. Granted, Cam Ward went number one overall, but one has to wonder about the overall perception of players who transfer after having a good season somewhere else. One can point to Ole Miss as a success story for portal usage, but how successful was it? Kiffin and Co missed the CFP, and, of course, the remnants of the dumpster fire that was FSU’s 2024 campaign is a reminder that hiring mercenaries for roster management maybe yields a culture cancer that was an unintended consequence of lazy recruiting efforts.
I can’t recall, but how many transfers were getting significant playing time for the Diamond Dawgs this past year? Of the starters for Georgia this past weekend, I believe only Tre Phelps has been a Dawg his entire career. I could be wrong, but could also be part of a bigger problem, too.
And that is Johnson’s strategy.
Remember Stricklin had good years in 2018 & 2019 but couldn’t get out of his own regionals. Hope we aren’t headed that way.
I have mixed feelings about the portal … as I do about everything in college sports today. I do think the NCAA and its members have the legal right to establish rules about eligibility to participate in on-the-field college athletics. If you don’t want to abide by them, train and wait for your opportunity to be drafted under whatever league’s CBA.
If the NCAA had said when they set the rule about transfer eligibility … you get 2 free transfers while maintaining eligibility to play immediately, one pre-grad and one graduate, to play for five seasons (you don’t lose a year of eligibility for sitting). No exceptions … no appeals process. Use that first transfer wisely. You use the first transfer because an assistant coach hurt your fee-fees in spring practice and now want to do it again because your grandmother is sick. It also just so happens the school nearby has offered you an NIL deal … feel free to transfer to be near your grandmother, but, sorry, you don’t get to play.
Everyone is talking about the revenue sharing payments and NIL (the market will work that out – I’m not convinced the clearinghouse is going to work), but the thing that’s going to bring the entire system to the ground is the transfer portal and the eligibility rules.
If a governing body can’t determine eligibility requirements to play in games without a judge’s approval, you don’t have a sport any longer.
Ditto. I’m really confused why a voluntary activity can’t set requirements of eligibility but I understand that public institutions must also follow Title IX, anti-discrimination and other regulations. Still…if Little League baseball can do it, why not college sports? NIL is not about eligibility but the Garcia case (QB from Vandy) winning on the notion he’s being denied a right to earn NIL by not having unlimited eligibility is a real legal problem for college sports.
That is the case that opened it by saying his JUCO years shouldn’t count. A basketball player(?) has now sued to say there is no reason I can’t play CBB forever because of my right to earn NIL. If that goes down, the snowball accelerates without some federal (read Congressional) intervention.
When that student athlete receives a random phone call from agent more dollars about portaling to a potential better atmosphere, not to mention a better funded checking account, that person is likely on the morning bus destined for the institute of greener pastures, no questions asked…”ABC”…GO DAWGS!!
Sometimes some of these players that start out at smaller schools are late bloomers. Or may have been in a smaller high school program that didn’t have the resources of bigger schools. They go to a small college, get coached up, and go through a proper training program and whaala. I’m all for that.
Imo, that’s pretty much what Johnson is doing.
You can have NIL, or an unrestricted transfer portal, but not both. Personally I agree with ee that you get 1 free transfer and the next one you sit out unless you’ve earned your degree. Also, a single transfer period, please and thank you.
What’s funny is most people felt that players should get the freedom to transfer at will, much like a coach can leave at any time for greener pa$tures (insert Auburn joke here). But coaches have contracts that have to get bought out by their new employer. Now players want the NIL$, AND the ability to transfer at will. Seems they missed the adult part of the agreement. They’ll probably wind up being employees with annual contracts and buyouts.
I hate this.
I think the key is when the players get collective bargaining input, whether as employees or some sort of quasi-student athlete, then the rules will pass legal muster. Maybe Congress then gives the NCAA antitrust exception like the pros. It’ll be the wild west until then, because every rule will be challenged and the plyers will win a lot because their rights are affected without input.
I’m not sure how the upcoming “settlement” will affect things, but I predict chaos and litigation until there is collective bargaining for the players. Not that I like it, but I think that’s the end game.
Congress did not give the NFL an antitrust exemption to have a player draft, etc. Congress dud give the NFL an anti-rust exemption but that was for television broadcast rights.
If college players wish to form a collective bargaining organization and the NCAA recognizes it the parties can collectively bargaining terms just like the NFL without any new legislation.
I’m not aware of any law that prevents players 18 years of age or older from signing contracts. I am aware that the school’s have not wanted this to happen because of employee problems, worker’s comp, payroll taxes etc. All of this may very well be better than the highest bidder, out of control portal process we have now. Make them employees with non-competes, and penalties for breach of contract. Put in performance clauses so they can be “terminated for cause”. If they want to unionize so be it. You can’t keep running amateur sports like this, when the courts are treating them like free agents. What we have now is what you get when you get judges involved that don’t gave a damn about the sport or academics, but what they believe is fair. I’m old but there was an old saying about “throwing the baby out with the bath water” I believe we have reached that point.