The NCAA has adopted a new transfer portal rule for the future. Now, student athletes in more major sports like football and basketball can transfer once and be immediately eligible at their new school.
There are some drawbacks of the new rule. There will be more transfers, and players may be less patient while they wait to develop. More potential negatives of the rule change include:
Fewer scholarships available to high school recruits. Power programs poaching players from small schools. Rosters turning over quicker than coaches can keep up.
Penn State football coach James Franklin has a well-informed opinion on the topic. Like all college football coaches, he has seen the risks and rewards of the transfer portal. Franklin knows the old system was being taken advantage of and was not producing equitable outcomes for all, as Georgia football fans know from the Luke Ford transfer.
James Franklin weighed in on transfers:
“Let’s be honest, over the last two years everybody knew all the transfer policies and the requirement to get immediate eligibility and everybody was saying whatever they had to say to become eligible.”
Overall, the new transfer rule is necessary. Student athletes should have an option to change schools if they are unhappy. In fact, they should not need a reason at all. Transfers should not be punished and have to sit out one season. Instead, they should be able to play immediately. The new transfer rule makes the system better.
It is troubling that coaches will now be tempted to recruit players from rivals, but that already happens to an extent.
For example, Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen recruited and landed a transfer from Georgia, outside linebacker Brenton Cox. Mullen has gone on to secure even more transfers, but he still argues for players to stay longer and develop at Florida despite the new rule.
Twitter was not happy with Mullen’s comments, especially since they can be interpreted as hypocritical. Remember, Mullen left Mississippi State partially because that program was developing slowly.
you literally just picked up a 5-star running back who left Clemson after one year, Dan https://t.co/AaJkRitcpe
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) April 16, 2021
Every coach laments players leaving but takes as many as they have room for. https://t.co/KwJ3nepeC5
— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) April 16, 2021
Did @CoachDanMullen stick out at Miss State or bolt to Florida ? https://t.co/dOiNc3eVbA
— SmokeyLowdown (@SmokeyLowdown) April 16, 2021
Says the guy that took a transfer out of clemson in the middle of the year and just added Gilbert from LSU. Give me a break, Dan. https://t.co/yvFwTL7qeA
— Billy Watson (@BWatson18) April 16, 2021
It's a good thing Dan Mullen didn't interview for seemingly every vacancy under the sun while the head coach of Mississippi State. Otherwise, this might come across as a little hypocritical! https://t.co/dXpxT3mCf0
— Jason B. Hirschhorn (@by_JBH) April 16, 2021
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