Portal transfers' insanity being checked, credits Kolpack, due to Bohl and Nielson
In the world of college football, the transfer landscape has been a chaotic and unpredictable aspect for both coaches and players. However, a potential solution is on the horizon, with the NCAA considering a single transfer portal window for college football games today.
The proposal, put forth by the FBS Oversight Committee, suggests a winter portal window from January 2nd to 11th. This window would have exemptions for players participating in postseason games or players on teams where a coaching change was made.
Bob Nielson, the director of divisional football and a top assistant to Craig Bohl, is a firm believer in this change. Nielson, who is also the executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, believes that the single transfer portal window could help prevent delusional fringe players from being shut out on the other side.
Last season, teams like South Dakota lost several key players after the winter portal closed in January. The move is aimed at creating greater program continuity in college football, giving college football programs a better concept of their roster and allowing a focus on development again.
The Division I Administrative Committee has already approved moving to a one-window transfer portal and eliminating the spring period. Combined with the winter window, the total number of Division I scholarship players who transferred topped an astounding 4,000 last year, with more than 1,100 in the spring window alone.
Nielson and Bohl, both former head coaches in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, believe that this change will bring some organization and sanity to the transfer process. Not every player finding themselves in the transfer portal is finding a place, and this change could help ensure that more players find suitable destinations in college football.
The change may also help coaches and programs. Nielson stated that the consensus of coaches is to have one transfer portal window. This would allow coaches to plan for the upcoming season with more certainty, as they would know their roster earlier.
The NCAA is expected to make a decision on this matter in October. Until then, the transfer portal remains a wild card in college football, but the prospect of a single transfer window offers a glimmer of hope for stability in the future.
In the meantime, the impact of the transfer portal is evident. Players like Kody Huisman, the seventh-leading tackler at Virginia Tech despite the team being 0-3 and having fired their head coach, and Marty Brown, the second leading rusher for Miami, have found new homes in the transfer portal.
As the college football landscape continues to evolve, the single transfer portal window could prove to be a game-changer, bringing order to the chaos and ensuring a more stable future for both players and programs in college football.
