Although the initial rankings to determine the field for the new 12-team college football playoffs will not begin until November 5, this has not stopped players, coaches, and fans from considering what effect every week’s games may have on their chances of being included in the chase to be number one in the land.
Perhaps a preview occurred during Week 6 of the college season earlier this month when a host of key matchups took place. While most area fans were focused on Penn State’s 33-30 overtime win at USC, Oregon’s exciting 32-31 win over Ohio State and LSU’s last-minute come-from-behind 29-26 overtime victory over Ole Miss led to joy or consternation, depending upon one’s rooting preference.
As my TV remote got a workout keeping me updated on the games, it seemed the announcers on each telecast kept referring to players referencing the transfer portal and where those players had played last year. This was particularly prevalent in the Oregon-Ohio State game as both quarterbacks had been somewhere else last year: Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel from Oklahoma and the Buckeyes’ Will Howard from Kansas State.
Ah, yes — the transfer portal is the invention that has led to so much turmoil on the college scene. As Webster defines it, “a state of great confusion or agitation.”
Instituted in 2018, the NCAA ‘transfer portal’ is a database created to manage and facilitate the process for ‘student-athletes’ to transfer between member institutions. Its existence allows college football players to switch programs during the off-season, most commonly when they are unhappy with their role within a team scheme or seek a situation where they will receive more playing time.
Both Oregon and Ohio State’s current QBs have many notches on their frequent flyer portfolios.
Gabriel, playing his sixth year of college eligibility, has set foot on four campuses. He played three seasons for the University of Central Florida, where he passed for 8,037 yards and 70 touchdowns. In 2021, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury early in the year. In 2022, he passed for 3,168 yards and 25 touchdowns at Oklahoma despite missing one game due to a concussion. In 2023, he once again threw for more than 3,000 yards.
As 2024 approached, Gabriel entered the portal intending to play UCLA but never suited up for the Bruins. Instead, he took his talent to Oregon to succeed Heisman Trophy finalist Box Nix with the Ducks.
The 6’4 Howard, from Downingtown West High School, received 20 Division 1 scholarship offers before choosing Kansas State. In four years with the Wildcats, he enjoyed his best season in 2023, passing for 2,643 yards and 24 TDs. Seeking greener pastures, he traveled the portal to Ohio State this season.
While Gabriel and Howard’s transfers stand out, hundreds of other D-I footballers have also taken their talents elsewhere this season. In the now 18-team Big Ten, the conference saw 245 football players come aboard from other schools, while another 383 jumped ship.
The Penn State portal tote board saw six players walk in, while another 13 sought went elsewhere. That total of 19 portal activity was among the lowest in the Big Ten. But in & out numbers alone do not tell the story of successful portal play. A group called Sports 247 developed a rating scale based on the average rating of the players leaving a program and compared it to the average rating of the players entering the program. Those findings ranked Big Ten teams accordingly: See the graph
Coaching changes have a direct effect on portal activity, as many schools, including Washington and Indiana, have new coaches this season. Michigan State’s roster is a bit unsettled due to a new coach hired in 2023.
The coaching change that made the biggest news last season was at Alabama, where coaching legend Nick Saban retired and was replaced by former Washington headman Kalen DeBoer. That change resulted in 39 players leaving the Crimson Tide, while 16 were welcomed in. That total included five of DeBoer’s former Washington players and Penn State defensive back King Mack.
Indeed, college football’s amateurism is now a thing of the past. NIL (name, image, likeness) money will continue to feed the transfer portal, and the rich will get richer. Geographically challenged leagues (e.g., the Big Ten and ACC) make little sense, except at the bank!
