The transfer portal and NIL have brought monumental changes to college football, completely transforming the game in the last few years. While some have welcomed the change, others believe that things have gotten out of hand and that the portal market has become a free for all that has hurt the heart of the sport.
However, it’s undeniable that the portal has brought several positives. Key among them are improving the possibilities of players having successful college careers, allowing them to easily change programs in search of play time.
According to On3’s J.D. PicKell, the portal needn’t be eliminated, rather it should be overhauled. On Monday, the analyst proposed these changes to the portal:
“The first and most important fix to the transfer portal is that we are going to have one window for immediate transfer eligibility,” PicKell said. “There will still be a time where you can transfer in the spring. But if you transfer in the spring, you will have to abide by the old rules. Ergo, you sit out a year…” (1:20)
“Going to do a couple of things to this… First, we’re going to cut it from 30 days down to 20 days… We are also going to move that window post national championship game. So we are not going to have this whole thing during the College Football Playoff where guys are like ‘Hey, I might jump in. I might do it. I might jump in the transfer portal if you don’t give me what I want'”
Why does J.D. PicKell want to change the transfer portal?
PicKell also explained that for the most part players already know by October/November if they wish to transfer out of the schools. Hence an extended transfer window is unnecessary, as players have already made up their minds. The postponing of the transfer window post national title game, is designed in turn to give schools more leverage in the market.
According to PicKell, as things stand, all the leverage is currently with the players, which creates an imbalance in the transfer portal market. These changes will put more control in the hands of the schools.
He cited the Nico Iamaleava story as a prime example of how the transfer portal has gotten out of hand. In PicKell’s mind, the fact that Iamaleava could transfer out immediately and be eligible to play in 2025, made it possible for him and the people in his camp to demand such hard terms from Tennessee.
However, someone could argue that the market corrected itself without the need for regulation. As Iamaleava changed national title contenders, Tennessee, for the significantly less powerful UCLA Bruins, and, adding insult to injury, for less money too.
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