This is not a sentence one expects to type: The NCAA meant well. And yes, it really did, but this being the NCAA, even when it does something that makes sense, the unintended consequences make it backfire in spectacular fashion.
And not surprisingly, it has to do with the transfer portal.
You may have heard, assuming you have working internet service, that Nick Saban recently retired. That came after the most recent transfer window had closed for non-graduate students. But the NCAA had foreseen this — again, an unexpected turn of phrase — and instituted a rule that allows players whose coaches leave the program an additional 30 days to enter the transfer portal.
And so more than a few Alabama players have done so. Receiver Isaiah Bond bolted quickly for Texas. Safety Caleb Downs appears headed for Georgia. More have left and more probably will. But the Saban effect didn’t stop at Alabama.
On Stars Matter today, @MitchLight, @Manny_Navarro, @gmraynor and me broke down the Alabama recruiting situation extensively.
Manny said something crazy. https://t.co/3faLhs3XRY pic.twitter.com/MqsDv7fblT
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) January 18, 2024
Washington, whose coach was hired away by Alabama, also had the 30-day window kick in and also has seen players leave.
Arizona, whose coach was then hired by Washington, saw its own exodus, nine heading into the portal Wednesday night alone.
San Jose State, whose coach was hired by Arizona, also had its roster suddenly available for poaching for 30 days. And that is fine for the players, who came to play for a certain coach and have a right to look around.
Advertisement
But then came the problem: Alabama, Washington, Arizona and San Jose State are now the only teams losing players, at least non-graduate players. Most of the best players in the portal have already chosen new programs, so they can enroll at their new school, go through spring practice and start earning name, image and likeness money. And while the programs that lost coaches are the only ones losing them, they are competing with every team around the country.
When Saban announced his retirement Jan. 10, initially it seemed like he did his school a favor. Classes had begun in Tuscaloosa, seemingly making it harder for players to leave and remain in good academic standing. It’s turning out to be the opposite: Exceptions can be made to add-drop deadlines, especially if you’re very good at football. There’s always a way.
There’s another group adversely affected by this: players at schools who get these late, unexpected transfers.
Let’s say you’re a backup safety at Georgia or a backup receiver at Texas who thought about transferring during the prescribed window but decided you liked your chances at earning playing time. Then you see a new starter parachute in, and you know that, barring injury or something else unforeseen, you’re probably a backup again. Well, your deadline has passed. There is no 30-day window that kicks in for you.
Yes, there is the post-spring transfer window. But if you’re at Georgia, Texas or any SEC school, that would be too late to transfer to another SEC school and be eligible this fall. Not a problem if you’re content going somewhere else. But unfortunate for those who would’ve preferred that.
Unfortunate all around, really. The question is what to do about it. And it’s not really clear.
The calendar was already an unwieldy disaster in the beautiful mess that is college football. The transfer portal opened on the Monday after the end of the regular season — the same week that Alabama, Georgia and other teams were playing in conference championship games. And that was less than three weeks before the early signing period — now essentially the only signing period — when high school players make it official.
Advertisement
And that was before the 12-team College Football Playoff kicks in next December. The first-round games are scheduled for Dec. 21, which right now will be about three weeks after the transfer portal window opens. That’s a lot of teams still playing meaningful football while the portal, recruiting and coaching carousel are ongoing. Oh, and the championship game is Jan. 20, five days after the NFL’s usual deadline to declare for the NFL Draft.
College football, where the offseason is happening while the actual season is still happening. A beautiful mess, indeed.
There’s a decent chance the people who run the NCAA — who are mostly the people working at the member schools, not the Indianapolis office — realize how unwieldy this will be next year and make changes. But whether those changes make it better or just create more unintentional problems, ah, who knows anymore?
One option would be moving the entire season up a week. By the time late August rolls around, every team is ready to just play a real game anyway. That would help some with the crunch around championship week and the portal. But it’s unlikely the CFP schedule will change. And you also can’t predict when the next sudden coaching change will happen. We’re more than 800 words into this column and haven’t mentioned Jim Harbaugh potentially leaving Michigan, which would free up his roster for another 30 days. And that’s not unique to this year. The NFL hires a college coach seemingly every few seasons.
If you’re the NCAA and the people who run college football, what do you do? Shake your fist at the new world of NIL, the portal and player rights? Throw your hands up and say, whatever? Or give in to what seems inevitable, grant players employee status so you can negotiate with them on things like contracts that last more than one year and aren’t subject to portal windows. That would help clear up some of the calendar mess. Maybe more than some of it.
Until then, or maybe even after that, it’s still college football. Beautiful at its best. Convoluted and frustrating at its worst. A beautiful, convoluted, frustrating mess.
(Photo of Isaiah Bond: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
