AFA Committee Thoughts About The Transfer Portal

[Notalot]

The Athletic published an article about the Transfer Portal. The story discussed the recent meeting in San  Antonio of the American Football Coaches Association. Following are several quotes which indicate several possible approaches to reigning in the present free-for-all.

 

"One suggestion the committee pitched to calm some of the transfer chaos: Giving players a two-month window after the regular season and after the spring semester to enter the portal, which would better allow coaches to project their numbers and fill them through recruiting or backfilling in the portal. In the sport’s current state, an entire position group could depart for any reason and leave a gaping hole in any roster.

 

Another possible solution: Keeping the scholarship count at 85 but requiring two-thirds of those scholarships be players the program signed out of high school.

 

“Those sound great, but what the NCAA is concerned about more than anything else is they don’t want to restrict players’ ability to do anything because of the Supreme Court decision,” a Group of 5 assistant said.

 

One Power 5 assistant said he hoped the sport would have some kind of collective bargaining agreement in the future.

 

“If we’re going to be like the pros, we’ve gotta have something in there that’s beneficial on both sides,” he said."

Edited January 28, 2022 by Notalot

[Charles Fischer]

I am delighted to learn of how the coaches want to stop the excesses.  Thanks for posting this Notalot.

[Jon Joseph]

On 1/28/2022 at 9:06 AM, Notalot said:

The Athletic published an article about the Transfer Portal. The story discussed the recent meeting in San  Antonio of the American Football Coaches Association. Following are several quotes which indicate several possible approaches to reigning in the present free-for-all.

 

"One suggestion the committee pitched to calm some of the transfer chaos: Giving players a two-month window after the regular season and after the spring semester to enter the portal, which would better allow coaches to project their numbers and fill them through recruiting or backfilling in the portal. In the sport’s current state, an entire position group could depart for any reason and leave a gaping hole in any roster.

 

Another possible solution: Keeping the scholarship count at 85 but requiring two-thirds of those scholarships be players the program signed out of high school.

 

“Those sound great, but what the NCAA is concerned about more than anything else is they don’t want to restrict players’ ability to do anything because of the Supreme Court decision,” a Group of 5 assistant said.

 

One Power 5 assistant said he hoped the sport would have some kind of collective bargaining agreement in the future.

 

“If we’re going to be like the pros, we’ve gotta have something in there that’s beneficial on both sides,” he said."

Great post. As I noted earlier under the Transfer Rankings take,  Michigan DC Mike McDonald after 1 season is returning to Baltimore to be the DC of the Ravens. Slick, Mario, Lincoln Riley, Brian Kelly, Billy Napier, DeBoer, etc. and the assistants they brought with them, left with little notice to their former employer. Try to regulate the transfer portal? I'm all for recruits having a limited time period in which to transfer. I'm not in favor of the NCAA or any other association spending multi-millions of dollars in court to 'protect' an old system when said association is likely to have its butt handed to it in a court(s) of law. Clearly, limiting a roster to one third transfers could, coupled with NIL, be seen as a restraint on trade and violating anti-trust laws.

 

Because the NCAA did not make reasonable adjustments regarding transfers (how do you justify controlling transfers in 5 and not all sports) and NIL, the cat is out of the bag [hoping for a Mr. FD cat response?] and I see no way to bring the cat 'back home.' Neither does the NCAA which is punting regulatory duties to its member divisions. Transfers in CBB, baseball, softball, men's hockey that used to be controlled are also frequently happening.

 

'Like the pros?' OK ,then allow a formation of a players union, pay-for-play, contracts that restrict free agency, hold a high school draft in inverse order of finish, end academic progress requirements, be allowed to trade players, have a sixty man roster with a practice squad, institute a salary cap, and have a 16 team playoff. THIS is why a Super League is coming. You cannot significantly damage the foundation and expect the house to stand.

[Charles Fischer]

Is THIS what it is like as a 

CFB fan pondering NIL?

[Steven A]

On 1/28/2022 at 6:06 AM, Notalot said:

the NCAA is concerned about more than anything else is they don’t want to restrict players’ ability to do anything because of the Supreme Court decision,” a Group of 5 assistant said.

Hit the nail on the head.  It's going to be very hard to put the Genie back in the bottle now that they, the players, have tasted this freedom.

 

Besides, where is it in the players' best interest to now restrict them?  Since it isn't, real tough sledding for the ncaa (can't do smaller font) to make a change now.

 

If you tried to tie it to coaches changing, since it is open season on them, different schools would have different portal times.

 

Time to suck it up and get used to the death of CFB as we knew it.

[Jon Joseph]

On 1/28/2022 at 12:40 PM, Charles Fischer said:

Is THIS what it is like as a 

CFB fan pondering NIL?

 

Thank you Sir!

[Duck 1972]

On 1/28/2022 at 10:34 AM, Steven A said:

Hit the nail on the head.  It's going to be very hard to put the Genie back in the bottle now that they, the players, have tasted this freedom.

 

Besides, where is it in the players' best interest to now restrict them?  Since it isn't, real tough sledding for the ncaa (can't do smaller font) to make a change now.

 

If you tried to tie it to coaches changing, since it is open season on them, different schools would have different portal times.

 

Time to suck it up and get used to the death of CFB as we knew it.

Can't see a problem with having it open at a particular time for all schools like after the season including bowls and start of spring training. 

 

That's 3/4 months they all would have. How would that be considered restrictions on their freedom?

 

Have same for the coaches to be consistent and protect the integrity and functionality of CFB.

[Steven A]

On 1/28/2022 at 5:58 PM, Duck 1972 said:

Have same for the coaches to be consistent and protect the integrity and functionality of CFB.

Can't restrict coach movement now that contracts aren't worth the paper mache they are written on plus I think integrity and CFB is now an oxymoron.

[Jon Joseph]

On 1/28/2022 at 8:58 PM, Duck 1972 said:

Can't see a problem with having it open at a particular time for all schools like after the season including bowls and start of spring training. 

 

That's 3/4 months they all would have. How would that be considered restrictions on their freedom?

 

Have same for the coaches to be consistent and protect the integrity and functionality of CFB.

I think a 'reasonable' time period in which to give notice of transfer will be OK if this is the case with sports that have allowed transfers without loss of eligibility, tennis, golf, etc., for years. I have no idea what kind of notice a woman on the soccer team has to give, if any, prior to transferring? But again, a reasonable notice period might be sustained?

 

What will not hold up is a limit on the number of transfer players allowed on a roster. IMO, that will be viewed as a restraint on trade. And you cannot restrict the movement of coaches; especially, coaches with liquidated damages (buy out) clauses in their contracts. Indentured servitude is not allowed in the USA. 

 

I get the longing for the 'good old days.' I share the same longing. But those days are gone. I think the CFB marketplace will 'regulate' itself with the coming of the Super League modeled on the NFL, with the player's having a union to negotiate with management, pay-for-play, contractual restrictions on free agency, rules against tampering, a salary cap and a high school draft. The surrender of the idea that big time CFB is 'amateur athletics.' 

[Duck 1972]

The schools and coaches themselves could make it where they will not move until after season is over.

 

Just typing this I had a thought. The coaches do stay, it's the schools that terminate coaches during the season so they would have to be controlled.

 

They should be motivated by not ruining their own recruiting class and schools image.

 

I guess not since they have been doing this all along. Oops, never mind.

[Viking Duck]

On 1/29/2022 at 9:11 AM, Jon Joseph said:

But those days are gone. I think the CFB marketplace will 'regulate' itself with the coming of the Super League modeled on the NFL, with the player's having a union to negotiate with management, pay-for-play, contractual restrictions on free agency, rules against tampering, a salary cap and a high school draft. The surrender of the idea that big time CFB is 'amateur athletics.' 

I think Jon really encapsulates it here - there is no going back, and as much as I dislike the changes, those changes are upon us and it's probably going to be a little chaotic until things settle out.

 

NCAA football is a multi-billion dollar revenue generator that outproduces MLB, America's sport, by billions of dollars. The Supreme Court quite rightly ruled that holding the athletes to arbitrary 'amateur' rules and restrictions while the rest of the system operates like a professional league in terms of income is completely unfair.

 

I don't know how it will end up, but I suspect that Jon's idea is as good as any. In fact, it's going to be like Minor League Baseball, except that the college affiliations add so much value to the sport that they won't make minor league teams. Still, players will essentially get signing bonuses and performance bonuses during their years at the top schools, which is what I think we are seeing now already.

[Charles Fischer]

Viking Duck, you are new here and I do appreciate your thoughtful writing and would want to encourage you to post often.  WELCOME!

[Jon Joseph]

On 1/29/2022 at 3:34 PM, Viking Duck said:

I think Jon really encapsulates it here - there is no going back, and as much as I dislike the changes, those changes are upon us and it's probably going to be a little chaotic until things settle out.

 

NCAA football is a multi-billion dollar revenue generator that outproduces MLB, America's sport, by billions of dollars. The Supreme Court quite rightly ruled that holding the athletes to arbitrary 'amateur' rules and restrictions while the rest of the system operates like a professional league in terms of income is completely unfair.

 

I don't know how it will end up, but I suspect that Jon's idea is as good as any. In fact, it's going to be like Minor League Baseball, except that the college affiliations add so much value to the sport that they won't make minor league teams. Still, players will essentially get signing bonuses and performance bonuses during their years at the top schools, which is what I think we are seeing now already.

Those were the days my friend but it started to erode when Pac-12 commissioner Tom Hansen threw the Rose Bowl into the BCS mix in return for trinkets. Then, Larry BCS doubled down. Now, the Pac-12 is left with a broke network and piling up sandbags against the  flood of money flowing into the B1G and the SEC.

[Duck 1972]

Here's a thought. When there is a super league it's not going to stop the rest of us from playing in our league/s and for our championships.

 

Some schools are going to have to drop out but not most.

 

We will be the Divisions top level and then u got those that aren't Power 5 schools in the next level then u got the Montana's, EWU, SD/ ND State, etc

 

We all play our own championships, bowls and playoffs. Actually it will work better. Giving more teams championship dreams.

 

[Jon Joseph]

On 1/29/2022 at 8:23 PM, Duck 1972 said:

Here's a thought. When there is a super league it's not going to stop the rest of us from playing in our league/s and for our championships.

 

Some schools are going to have to drop out but not most.

 

We will be the Divisions top level and then u got those that aren't Power 5 schools in the next level then u got the Montana's, EWU, SD/ ND State, etc

 

We all play our own championships, bowls and playoffs. Actually it will work better. Giving more teams championship dreams.

 

 

Good thoughts. But the money an under-league will get will be nowhere what the Super League receives in media income. Kind of like the G5 today compared with the P5. And you are going to be watching a lot of 0 to 2* playing ball. Will fans show up to watch this when there are bigger games to watch on the tube? For sure you are not going to have head coaches making multi-millions or rich NIL deals for the players. It will be AA ball compared to The Show.

[Duck 1972]

Montana and the Dakota's seem to be fine with the limitations. They play for their divisions championship almost every year. I know it's not quite the same but it shows a way it could be done. 

 

Can't believe every one would quit watching. Yes less money but still doable. And I believe a lot of top athletes want to go to school and get their degree not just get ready for the pros.