Open For Business: 15-Day Transfer Portal Period Begins, Bound To Cause Some Chaos Within College Football

We are once again welcoming another transfer portal period, which opens today for college football players. 

Different from the winter, this portal-period will only be open for 15 days, as compared to what we witnessed in December. For this reason alone, it will turn into a mad-dash to get players on-campus, or start the negotiation window for players that carry weight with their name. 

As I've mentioned countless times over the past few months, this window could turn into one of the craziest we've seen when it comes to retaining players.  Collectives will try to decide how much money they want to spend on that one player who could change a position group for the better. 

The Transfer Portal Will Be Wild

One of the most intriguing aspects of this window is the new rules that allow multi-time transfers. We have already seen this play out in a high-profile case with former Alabama OL Kadyn Proctor, who transferred to Iowa in the winter, only now preparing to head back to Tuscaloosa. Some of those players that you thought were committed to your school in January could end up playing for another school by May. 

"Here again, it’s a really stupid system," Lane Kiffin said last month, according to Rebel Grove. "Hey, it’s good for the players, maybe. It’s good for them financially, but I’m not really sure it’s good for them that they can leave anytime something goes wrong. They’re just going to run, no matter what. I think what you’re going to see — I said this when they first started this —is people that, ‘I’m going to go somewhere, get their money and having never played a down as a transfer, and I’m going back in right after spring ball and go somewhere else and get their money.’"

Guess what? He's right, there will be a number of players who decide that four months on one campus is long enough to decide whether the situation fits them. Don't forget about the NIL part of this, where players are upset that they aren't getting the amount of money promised to them when they signed with one particular school. 

This is happening all over college athletics right now. But, this is what the players asked for when it comes to collectives and getting what they think is their true value as a player. 

At this very moment, there are coaches sitting down with players to discuss their future with the program, along with where they fit on the roster coming out of spring practice. A lot of these conversations will center around what's best for the team, and how the player could benefit from looking around for a better opportunity to be a starter somewhere else. 

While all of this occurs, some players will take this opportunity to look for more money, by trying to negotiate with the collective, or even bringing it up with the head coach. This is all part of the new era in college athletics, and it's certainly hard to wrap your brain around how far things have come in such a short period of time. If there was a freshman or transfer that received more NIL money than a current starter on the team, you can bet those conversations about making up the difference are going on right now. 

It's Now Open-Season For NIL Negotiations With Collectives

With a number of preliminary injunctions centered around NIL granted over the last six months, NIL collectives are now ready to get into what will certainly turn into bidding-wars for players. And while all of these talks about what a player will make at their current, or next school, there lies an agent ready to negotiate the deal. 

But I would advise players to keep a close-eye on who's handling your contract talks. 

"You don't know how many times a player has decided to use someone close to the family as an ‘Agent’ and had it all blown up in their face," one Power-5 NIL Collective told OutKick. "There are very smart people out there discussing financial figures with collectives, but there are some shady characters as well. I had one ‘agent’ approach me about his client, talked about what he could do for the team and how they could even get a discount for the player. But this would only happen if the ‘agent’ were to get a substantial finders fee upfront without the client knowing. 

"These players have to be mindful of who's discussing their future plans. I've had players calling me to ask where their payment went, or why they haven't been paid in two months. All I can tell them is to check with their representative, because the money is being sent."

It should also be noted that in the SEC, a player cannot transfer to another SEC school without having to sit out one year. This is a conference rule, not applicable to other conferences. 

This is the world we live in now, and one that benefits the players if it's handled in the right way. I'm certainly not for a player being able to leave every six months because something didn't go their way at one school. But, I'm all for a player getting the most out of their name, image and likeness. The truth is that most of these players are working on their last contract as a football player, so get your money now before entering the real-world. 

Most NIL collectives that have spent the last few months raising funds for this 15-day period, knowing that their football coach will want to go after a certain number of players who could end up costing a bit more now, compared to previous windows. 

You might not see the same amount of high-profile athletes hitting the portal, but this certainly provides coaches the opportunity to have a talk with a number of current players on the roster. 

Players Threatening To Leave, While Coaches Are Opening The Door

The threat of a player leaving the program is so common now that coaches just brush off the noise. This portal-window is also a negotiating tactic for current players on a roster. There are a number of first-string guys coming out of spring practice that think they are worth more than they're getting paid, and some of them might actually be right. 

But this is where we will see some athletes try to strong-arm a collective, in hopes of getting a dollar-figure that suits them better. So, don't be surprised when a linebacker, who fans have been gushing about their potential over the last month, decides to threaten the staff with putting his name in the portal. This is a negotiating tactic that might work, or they could end up looking for a new home. 

"We know how much a player is worth to the football team, or basketball team," another Power-5 Collective told OutKick. "But that player has been getting an earful from his confidants over the last few weeks, and they think he deserves more money. So what do you think they're going to do? We will get a call that this certain player is threatening to enter his name into the portal, and then we will have a conversation about whether a pay increase is going to fix the problem. If that player is not worth the hassle, or additional money, then he can test the portal. We have a budget to manage, and every player is not going to get what they want. 

"As much as the public wants to think we have this unlimited amount of cash to pay for these players, it's just not true. Yes, we have money, but think of all the players on the roster who will contribute, and the ones that carry a name worth marketing. We're going to have to say goodbye to some of these guys, and sometimes that decision comes from the football building, when a coach decides he needs to clear a roster spot. This is a business we're trying to run, not a charity."

NIL Has Winners And Losers

They aren't wrong, and the player will try to get more money out of their current school. But I can't say that I blame them, there just needs to be cooler heads prevailing when that financial bump isn't as close to what the player was hoping for. Sure, they can go test the waters, hoping that their ‘agent’ is doing their job in potentially finding a new home. 

This whole process works both ways. We have entered into a whole new world, while the NCAA sits on the side and watches the parade go by. 

What happens over the next 15-days will have an impact on what happens with the future of college athletics. There's a lot on the line for the players and schools, so it will be important to watch how this all unfolds, including if this shortened window helps the game. 

Coaches have been predicting a more chaotic portal window this spring, and we're about to find out if it all comes to fruition.