I’m not thrilled with what I’m seeing in the direction college football is heading.  Right now it’s the best sports product in the nation and I fear that bubble could burst with what appears to be the direction of unrestricted free agency.

Even in the NFL, there is restricted free agency where a team receives some sort of compensation when a play gets traded.

There has to be some type of reasonable balance where the school that invested a ton of resources to get a recruit to campus has protection and a player also has reasonable protection at his school if what he signed up for no longer exists.

Graduation certainly be a one trigger for release.  If a player can graduate in 3 years I have no problem with him taking his talents elsewhere if he feels there is a better opportunity.

I think the schools that are at the biggest risk from really being hurt are Group of 5 Programs that developed that 2-3 star player into a stud and some big name University scoops him up.

I think there is a lot of good thoughts to be tossed around on this issue. Some will have a pro-player point of view and other will be pro-school.

Check this out:

The Real USC early enrollee Bru McCoy enters the NCAA Portal:

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/25844209/usc-trojans-early-enrollee-bru-mccoy-enters-ncaa-transfer-portal

This is going to be a problem with early signing.  I’m sure this kid was expecting to play for Kliff Kingsbury but he got a pro job and this kid was left flapping in the wind.

I think in a case like this he should be let out of that commitment because of the coaching change.

I saw that.  It’s crazy that a kid commits for just a few days…  I guess he shoulda just signed with WRU right off the get go.  I wonder if Dabo will treat players like this as “transfers” that he doesn’t recruit.

And it opens wider as Justin Fields is immediately eligible to play.

Ancient Orange - 09 February 2019 11:39 AM

And it opens wider as Justin Fields is immediately eligible to play.

That really is a game changer. How do you deny any kid a transfer?  Fields grievance is due be called a racial slur yet his sister is an athlete that enrolled there. 

It seems to me that there needs to be some new guidelines similar to the NFL.  Something like Restricted and unrestricted transfers.  A college should get something in return if a kid leaves and can play immediately if he has not graduated.  I don’t know what that compensation is, but my first thought is an extra scholarship from the school that this kid is going to or something meaningful.

Free agency is imminent. Anyone who either (a) has been called a bad name or (b) is not happy with their playing team should now be immediately eligible based on the Fields ruling.

Slippery slope we’re heading down.

Free agency may be the proper term… hahahaha! Contracts for that payday, boy!

MattSmith - 10 February 2019 01:34 PM

Free agency is imminent. Anyone who either (a) has been called a bad name or (b) is not happy with their playing team should now be immediately eligible based on the Fields ruling.

Slippery slope we’re heading down.

Exactly. This could become a mess. I think all the changing around through free agency has hurt the NFL in terms of fan support because the players come and go. I think if this gets out of hand, it could be a problem.

I think it can make CFB better since it’s easier for talent to get on the field since they aren’t trapped behind other players.  But it needs to be monitored very very closely.  They should make tough rules for violators too.  “Anyone who has illegal contact (tampering) or give illegal benefits to a transfer cannot accept transfers to their program for 5 years”. 

This may hurt the G5’s more than the P5’s as more players from the G5 will want to move up.  G5 could become another layer of JUCO.

I thought I would revisit this topic now that we have seen it in action for nearly 6 months.  What are your thoughts? I still don’t like it.

I haven’t really minded it.  I have a mindset that if they intend to transfer so fast you don’t want them there anyway.  If they graduate then by all means it’s their choice, just go out with more grace than Kelly Bryant and not so sour.

I still think it allows kids to make bad decisions.  It will take a few seasons to level out.  Once kids see there is a decently high failure rate for transfers finding new teams it will scare many of them to stay where they have a scholarship.  But it will still help force coaches to treat their kids better because a mass transfer will be possible. 

It has the potential help weaker teams and spread the wealth of ultra deep teams.  It could make things worse though by making it easier for teams (mostly SEC) to kick kids out and oversign.

Like that kid going to Texas then going to USC, now back in the transfer portal.  Whats up with that.

I do like that it can spread some wealth.  Someone like Hunter Johnson leaving Clemson to Northwestern where he has a legitimate shot at making them a better team would of been a bit wasted sitting at Clemson.  We would of loved it for depth but for his sake he needed to move on.  I don’t think we need to hold kids like pawns and limit their transfer options if that is what they choose to do.  If you have a good healthy program, you are going to get the guys you need.  No need to hold the others hostage, especially if they don’t want to be there.