What the Big 10 and SEC joint advisory group could mean for LSU football

The Transfer Portal

The transfer portal and NIL have emerged as a joint problem because we’re discovering that NIL payouts are causing an influx of college football players to jump schools. Moreover, a recent NCAA rule change that permits unlimited transfers without players having to sit out a season has fed the beast. Recently retired quarterback JT Daniels spent seasons with USC, Georgia, West Virigina, and Rice. Last month, TJ Finley announced his transfer to Western Kentucky. The Ponchatoula (La.) native spent seasons with LSU football, Auburn, and Texas State.

Despite their numerous moves from college program to college program, neither Daniels nor Finley were subjected to a ‘sit out’ season.

With such in mind, I imagine the Big 10/SEC advisory group are evaluating the transfer portal’s impact on college athletics. Universities invest mightily in student-athletes and are understandably seeking way to protect their investments.  I don’t think the transfer portal will go away, but the transfer windows must be addressed.

Under the NCAA’s structure, the transfer portal opens just before the College Football Playoff in December and closes before the championship game on January 2nd. Then, a 30-day portal window opens for players of teams that lose their head coach. Recently, Alabama was subjected to the 30-day portal after Nick Saban retired. The Crimson Tide lost players without having the opportunity to backfill because while they were preparing for the College Football Playoff while the initial portal window opened.

All new head coach Kalen DeBoer could muster was a few transfers from his former program in Washington. And while no LSU football fan will shed a tear for Tuscaloosa, we must be cognizant of the Spring transfer portal. Indeed, I expect there to be a lot of tampering and player movement ahead of the next portal window that open April 15th.