Transfer Portal: Good for College Football?
Has the college football transfer portal been good for college football? There’s not much doubt that this rule has been a tremendous asset for many high-profile players. Many of the “blue blood” programs have benefited from players acquired through the transfer portal. The portal has been similar to a second recruiting season for some programs and coaches. But has the transfer portal been a positive experience for the average, middle-of-the-road athlete? Let’s begin discussing the important topic of the college football transfer portal.
Player Perspective
In regards to the players, is the transfer portal good for college football? The benefit for the players has been many. Highly recruited athletes that find themselves in a fierce position competition always have the option of transferring if not named the starter. Players can leave and become eligible immediately in most cases.
Players can take advantage of the transfer portal for a variety of reasons. Many players choose to leave a program due to coaching changes, team violations, or simply a change of heart. People sometimes forget these are 19 to 21-year-old young men making career decisions.
In many cases, this allows players that may not fit in at a place like Alabama, Ohio St, Clemson, or Oklahoma to find a less high-profile home without losing out on any eligibility.
Coach or Team Perspective
Many schools have used the transfer portal as an additional recruiting or signing period. Oklahoma University, for example, seems to strategically use this as a recruiting tool. In the past few years, the Sooners have landed a bevy of stars via the transfer portal.
Among those stars is Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray, and Heisman runner-up Jalen Hurts from the quarterback room. Some of the talented receivers in this group include Marquise Brown and Mike Woods. The Sooners also landed three of the top 10 players that entered the portal in 2021 including offensive tackle Wanya Morris, running back Eric Gray, as well as safety/cornerback Key Lawrence. These players addressed some key needs for Oklahoma, incidentally, all three players came from Tennessee. This is the epitome of the positive and negative of the transfer portal. Oklahoma filled many needs, as well as adding some much-needed depth on both sides of the ball. On the negative side, the Volunteers were decimated by the transfer portal.
What Does the Future Hold
Clearly, the positives far outweigh the negatives concerning the portal. The rules and regulations concerning the transferring are getting more relaxed instead of becoming more restrictive. Like it or not the transfer portal is here to stay, at least for the time being.
In conclusion, is the transfer portal good for college football? Clearly, only time will tell what the ultimate impact it will have on college football.
