Different Strategies Within College Football Involving The Transfer Portal Has Teams Not Waiting, They Want To Win Now With NIL

We've come to a fork in the road around the college football world that requires coaches to decide how they want to build a roster. The transfer portal, along with NIL Collectives, has made the opportunity to fight for a playoff spot more reasonable for some.

If you were wondering who the 'Portal King' of 2023 is, well he resides in Oxford, Mississippi. What we are seeing from Lane Kiffin and his staff is a school that's decided to push all their chips into the pot for 2024.

What about the transfer portal has forced schools into a making a decision about the short-term?

It all comes down to the choice of wanting to immediately compete for a national championship, not waiting to develop players from the high school level. Let's also be clear that what we've recently seen out of the portal is not the end of prominent high school recruiting. But, these young players are now realizing they don't have to stick around a school for 3 or 4 years.

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Has Decided To Go All-In On 2024

In the new age of collectives and transfer portal movement, schools have to make a decision on how to attack the off-season. For a school like Ole Miss, it's clear they have decided to go all-in for the 2024 season, with the college football playoff expanding to twelve teams.

Look at what Kiffin has done over the recent weeks. The Rebels have signed Florida DE Princely Umanmielen, along with Tennessee's Tyler Baron. Along with those two off the edge, DC Pete Goulding has brought in Chris Paul Jr. from Arkansas at linebacker, along with a player like DB Key Lawrence and Tamarion McDonald.

The Rebels didn't get some type of deal, Lane Kiffin needed the Grove Collective, which isn't a bad thing. On the offensive side, signing a player like Juice Wells from South Carolina adds to the arsenal for Jaxson Dart, with Tre Harris also returning. The list could go on, with a potential addition of the 5-star Walter Nolen that would make this a monster haul from the portal.

"You see what they're doing and it's clear they are gearing up for a run at the title next season," one SEC assistant mentioned to OutKick about Lane Kiffin. "It's a smart move because they are getting some of these players at market value. But when Lane told everyone what was going on in-terms of free agency, it should've been a warning sign for what he was about to do."

Transfer Portal Forces Decision On Whether Players Are Worth It

Lost in the shuffle of players leaving one team for another is the question of whether or not getting into a bidding war is worth it. Now, every staff in college football is deciding who they would want to return and who they are willing to let go.

The current mindset from some college football fans is that if a player leaves one school for another, the former school wasn't willing to pay. This can be true for some high-profile players, and it's also a logical decision by the current staff. Sometimes, a player needs a fresh start or wants to finish his collegiate eligibility somewhere else. Often times, the current school doesn't feel as if a stud defensive end is worth the headache, or their asking price.

This is when you just have to cut the line. Sure, the player has been an integral part of the team, but the coaching staff, or collective doesn't feel as if the player is worth the money they're seeking. Every team has to decide on how they will use NIL to their benefit in the off-season, and sometimes that means letting a player go without a fight.

"In this age of college football, we have to be picky," one collective head told OutKick. "We're spending a good amount of money on portal prospects, but we have to factor in our returning players. It's not as if there's just piles of money laying around to hand-out. If we don't think it's worth going back-and-forth with an NIL agent, then we just let the young man go without much of a fight. This is a business now, and I think some of these players forget it works both ways."

Fan Donations Help, Sometimes A Booster Wants To Win Now

One of the biggest factors when it comes to how NIL and the transfer portal collide can come down to one or two donors. High school football recruiting will always be important to college football, but you can tell we're headed down an interesting path with the portal.

Before these NIL deals existed, boosters helped shape a college football roster at key positions. If you want to act like that didn't happen, have at it. But now we're seeing a lack of patience from some of the bigger boosters around college football. At the crux of what we're currently seeing around college football and NIL deals are boosters who are ready play for a title, now.

Speaking with one industry source regarding the matter, it comes down to whether or not the booster is willing to write the check.

"If a donor or two are ready to start winning immediately and aren't willing to wait on enough high school players to develop, they will open the checkbook. The school can ask for all the money they want for stadium renovations or athletic funds, but in all reality, these donors want to be in the fight. So, that's why you see some schools having the funds to spend on experienced players that can help them win now.

"Sometimes these folks get pissed off enough at results and decide it's time to start directing funds towards buying better players. What's the collective going to do? They aren't turning down the money."

We're currently seeing a shift in how teams attack roster management. As everyday passes, college football is starting to look like the NFL during the off-season. There's certainly nothing wrong with that, some teams just have different ways of achieving goals.

Welcome to the new college football.