Listening to the talking heads on the radio today got me thinking about how things are changing right in front of our eyes. I'm beginning to think that the Transfer Portal might be a good thing.

In the past, a coach had to spend months, sometimes years courting a kid and trying to entice him to come to his school. You had kids that you were really making a bet on that they would turn out to be really good players. You had to be a really good predictor of who was gonna get better and who was not. Invested a lot of time and effort in recruiting.

Now, with the Transfer Portal, and the short window of time to make a choice, it kinda takes all the guess work out of the process. Kids go to school, some actually play a year, but the bottom line is, you get to see who can play and who can't and against real competition, not a bunch of inferior competition.

The, you just have to impress them in a Zoom call and they have to make a decision and not drag it out.

What do y'all think?

Sadly, you're looking at this from the positive spin side. The truth is the Self's and Saban's (and maybe the Penny's) of the world will send kids packing into the portal if they don't measure up, with no conscience at all, and then swoop in and take the best of the rest to fill the spots. All they have to do is let ECU best player know they want him, he enters portal and becomes a tar heel.

The kids think they are winning in this, they aren't. We need to go ahead and pay the players and sign real contracts for a specified number of seasons. Then if you want to unload them you got to pay. But the NCAA has proven for decades now that they do everything for the money, not for the student athletes and never, never, ever for fairness and equality among member institutions.

Close to 1300 so far this year
Not a ton more than last year but it has been a steady increase

Around 500 kids transferred in 2012

The ability to play immediately was huge for graduate transfers and obviously is huge now for everyone. It probably won’t last but...

On the one hand, if a player finds out he made the wrong choice or comes to feel he was sold a bill of goods or his life situation changes, it's good that he can make a change without sitting a year. Heck, even if he blossoms and then gets a chance at a program he wanted but didn't get an offer from, that's good I guess.

Then on the other hand, like cmt said, if you have the top programs taking the best players it will end up as a "the rich getting richer" situation. Crapapari has shown that you can assemble groups of 5-star freshmen and still go bust, but if it ends up where someone gets year after year of proven lottery pick level players, that's going to be a dynasty we don't want to see. A school in a destination like LA or Miami or maybe NY could do it.

Some kids are going to get squeezed out this year through the portal. You have HS seniors and all the current D1 "freebie year" guys - with no allowance made to increase roster size for returning 5th year guys (unlike football). When the dust settles, I'm afraid there will be hundreds of players left without a scholly. Bad advice from their handlers. That's why it's good to see Lance and Rand lock in schollies early.

Listening to Keelon on the J&J show yesterday gives some insight to how handlers and parents view the portal these days. (If you can take listening to the guy.) He said wherever Chandler ends up this year, that will be where he finishes his career because he will have used his 1-time transfer. However, he said Johnathon will still have that option. So if he goes somewhere this year that doesn't work for him, he can always move on. I couldn't tell if he was hinting that they both might go to Memphis this year, or if maybe just Chandler goes this year, and Johnathon later. But either way, they are viewing school on a year-to-year basis.

(04-08-2021 06:50 PM)mapdude Wrote:  Listening to the talking heads on the radio today got me thinking about how things are changing right in front of our eyes. I'm beginning to think that the Transfer Portal might be a good thing.

In the past, a coach had to spend months, sometimes years courting a kid and trying to entice him to come to his school. You had kids that you were really making a bet on that they would turn out to be really good players. You had to be a really good predictor of who was gonna get better and who was not. Invested a lot of time and effort in recruiting.

Now, with the Transfer Portal, and the short window of time to make a choice, it kinda takes all the guess work out of the process. Kids go to school, some actually play a year, but the bottom line is, you get to see who can play and who can't and against real competition, not a bunch of inferior competition.

The, you just have to impress them in a Zoom call and they have to make a decision and not drag it out.

What do y'all think?

It seems good because we have a top notch recruiter and an attractive program... Smaller schools are not going to feel that way as their best players get poached every year.

(04-08-2021 06:59 PM)cmt Wrote:  Sadly, you're looking at this from the positive spin side. The truth is the Self's and Saban's (and maybe the Penny's) of the world will send kids packing into the portal if they don't measure up, with no conscience at all, and then swoop in and take the best of the rest to fill the spots. All they have to do is let ECU best player know they want him, he enters portal and becomes a tar heel.

The kids think they are winning in this, they aren't. We need to go ahead and pay the players and sign real contracts for a specified number of seasons. Then if you want to unload them you got to pay. But the NCAA has proven for decades now that they do everything for the money, not for the student athletes and never, never, ever for fairness and equality among member institutions.

Why are the kids not winning? They have freedom choice and movement. So long as coaches can leave without penalty then I am all for kids getting the freedom to do the same.

(04-08-2021 10:20 PM)SeñorTiger Wrote:  

(04-08-2021 06:50 PM)mapdude Wrote:  Listening to the talking heads on the radio today got me thinking about how things are changing right in front of our eyes. I'm beginning to think that the Transfer Portal might be a good thing.

In the past, a coach had to spend months, sometimes years courting a kid and trying to entice him to come to his school. You had kids that you were really making a bet on that they would turn out to be really good players. You had to be a really good predictor of who was gonna get better and who was not. Invested a lot of time and effort in recruiting.

Now, with the Transfer Portal, and the short window of time to make a choice, it kinda takes all the guess work out of the process. Kids go to school, some actually play a year, but the bottom line is, you get to see who can play and who can't and against real competition, not a bunch of inferior competition.

The, you just have to impress them in a Zoom call and they have to make a decision and not drag it out.

What do y'all think?

It seems good because we have a top notch recruiter and an attractive program... Smaller schools are not going to feel that way as their best players get poached every year.

Yep. if them's the rules then play by the rules better than anybody else.

It's better to be the best poacher than to be the best poachee.

(04-08-2021 10:23 PM)SeñorTiger Wrote:  

(04-08-2021 06:59 PM)cmt Wrote:  Sadly, you're looking at this from the positive spin side. The truth is the Self's and Saban's (and maybe the Penny's) of the world will send kids packing into the portal if they don't measure up, with no conscience at all, and then swoop in and take the best of the rest to fill the spots. All they have to do is let ECU best player know they want him, he enters portal and becomes a tar heel.

The kids think they are winning in this, they aren't. We need to go ahead and pay the players and sign real contracts for a specified number of seasons. Then if you want to unload them you got to pay. But the NCAA has proven for decades now that they do everything for the money, not for the student athletes and never, never, ever for fairness and equality among member institutions.

Why are the kids not winning? They have freedom choice and movement. So long as coaches can leave without penalty then I am all for kids getting the freedom to do the same.

Because the coach is still in charge. Who's getting millions? They will kick kids to the curb now without hesitation.

(04-08-2021 10:23 PM)SeñorTiger Wrote:  

(04-08-2021 06:59 PM)cmt Wrote:  Sadly, you're looking at this from the positive spin side. The truth is the Self's and Saban's (and maybe the Penny's) of the world will send kids packing into the portal if they don't measure up, with no conscience at all, and then swoop in and take the best of the rest to fill the spots. All they have to do is let ECU best player know they want him, he enters portal and becomes a tar heel.

The kids think they are winning in this, they aren't. We need to go ahead and pay the players and sign real contracts for a specified number of seasons. Then if you want to unload them you got to pay. But the NCAA has proven for decades now that they do everything for the money, not for the student athletes and never, never, ever for fairness and equality among member institutions.

Why are the kids not winning? They have freedom choice and movement. So long as coaches can leave without penalty then I am all for kids getting the freedom to do the same.

With recruits free to walk after their freshman year, schools may have to take a hard look at time and resources spent recruiting them. Kentucky spent over 1 million on BB recruiting in 2019 alone. Illinois over 800k. Perhaps this could be offset if they were to get an equal player out of the portal, but that’s a big if. Was Miami’s investment in Timberlake worth seven games?

(04-08-2021 09:45 PM)Herff Tiger Wrote:  On the one hand, if a player finds out he made the wrong choice or comes to feel he was sold a bill of goods or his life situation changes, it's good that he can make a change without sitting a year. Heck, even if he blossoms and then gets a chance at a program he wanted but didn't get an offer from, that's good I guess.

Then on the other hand, like cmt said, if you have the top programs taking the best players it will end up as a "the rich getting richer" situation. Crapapari has shown that you can assemble groups of 5-star freshmen and still go bust, but if it ends up where someone gets year after year of proven lottery pick level players, that's going to be a dynasty we don't want to see. A school in a destination like LA or Miami or maybe NY could do it.

I think the tragic situation is kids are going to get pushed out because a coach knows he can fill their spot with a proven commodity. I have no problem with pushing out a bad attitude or poor worker. I do have a problem with pushing out a kid because the coach mis-evaluated their talent.

(04-09-2021 07:51 AM)macgar32 Wrote:  

(04-08-2021 09:45 PM)Herff Tiger Wrote:  On the one hand, if a player finds out he made the wrong choice or comes to feel he was sold a bill of goods or his life situation changes, it's good that he can make a change without sitting a year. Heck, even if he blossoms and then gets a chance at a program he wanted but didn't get an offer from, that's good I guess.

Then on the other hand, like cmt said, if you have the top programs taking the best players it will end up as a "the rich getting richer" situation. Crapapari has shown that you can assemble groups of 5-star freshmen and still go bust, but if it ends up where someone gets year after year of proven lottery pick level players, that's going to be a dynasty we don't want to see. A school in a destination like LA or Miami or maybe NY could do it.

I think the tragic situation is kids are going to get pushed out because a coach knows he can fill their spot with a proven commodity. I have no problem with pushing out a bad attitude or poor worker. I do have a problem with pushing out a kid because the coach mis-evaluated their talent.

I guess I do not. The kid is there on a free ride with all sorts of perks. If they are not good enough to play then I have no problem with a coach pushing them out. This is not 6th grade boys club ball where everyone gets to play at least one quarter and nobody gets cut. If they can transfer penalty free then I have no qualms about a coach basically cutting an under performing player.

(04-09-2021 06:45 AM)cmt Wrote:  

(04-08-2021 10:23 PM)SeñorTiger Wrote:  

(04-08-2021 06:59 PM)cmt Wrote:  Sadly, you're looking at this from the positive spin side. The truth is the Self's and Saban's (and maybe the Penny's) of the world will send kids packing into the portal if they don't measure up, with no conscience at all, and then swoop in and take the best of the rest to fill the spots. All they have to do is let ECU best player know they want him, he enters portal and becomes a tar heel.

The kids think they are winning in this, they aren't. We need to go ahead and pay the players and sign real contracts for a specified number of seasons. Then if you want to unload them you got to pay. But the NCAA has proven for decades now that they do everything for the money, not for the student athletes and never, never, ever for fairness and equality among member institutions.

Why are the kids not winning? They have freedom choice and movement. So long as coaches can leave without penalty then I am all for kids getting the freedom to do the same.

Because the coach is still in charge. Who's getting millions? They will kick kids to the curb now without hesitation.

The coach is getting millions. How is forcing 1,400 players (last number I saw in the transfer portal) to stay with a coach and a University they do not want to be keeping the power in the coach's hand? I think it actually does the opposite, it gives the players much more power and leverage. But speaking of making millions. Why would the millionaire coach's be held to a lower standard than the college kids? That is my rub. If coach's can leave and "transfer" penalty free then the players should have the same freedom, especially since they are not the ones making millions to be there.

(04-09-2021 07:55 AM)SeñorTiger Wrote:  

(04-09-2021 07:51 AM)macgar32 Wrote:  

(04-08-2021 09:45 PM)Herff Tiger Wrote:  On the one hand, if a player finds out he made the wrong choice or comes to feel he was sold a bill of goods or his life situation changes, it's good that he can make a change without sitting a year. Heck, even if he blossoms and then gets a chance at a program he wanted but didn't get an offer from, that's good I guess.

Then on the other hand, like cmt said, if you have the top programs taking the best players it will end up as a "the rich getting richer" situation. Crapapari has shown that you can assemble groups of 5-star freshmen and still go bust, but if it ends up where someone gets year after year of proven lottery pick level players, that's going to be a dynasty we don't want to see. A school in a destination like LA or Miami or maybe NY could do it.

I think the tragic situation is kids are going to get pushed out because a coach knows he can fill their spot with a proven commodity. I have no problem with pushing out a bad attitude or poor worker. I do have a problem with pushing out a kid because the coach mis-evaluated their talent.

I guess I do not. The kid is there on a free ride with all sorts of perks. If they are not good enough to play then I have no problem with a coach pushing them out. This is not 6th grade boys club ball where everyone gets to play at least one quarter and nobody gets cut. If they can transfer penalty free then I have no qualms about a coach basically cutting an under performing player.

Yeah we differ there...

If a player comes in and busts their butt for the coach...The same coach who begged them to come play...Yet isn't as good as he coach initially thought I don't think he should get a free do-over.

You also run into the slippery slope of injuries as well.

Finally some of these kids are actually trying to get a real degree.

(04-08-2021 06:59 PM)cmt Wrote:  Sadly, you're looking at this from the positive spin side. The truth is the Self's and Saban's (and maybe the Penny's) of the world will send kids packing into the portal if they don't measure up, with no conscience at all, and then swoop in and take the best of the rest to fill the spots. All they have to do is let ECU best player know they want him, he enters portal and becomes a tar heel.

The kids think they are winning in this, they aren't. We need to go ahead and pay the players and sign real contracts for a specified number of seasons. Then if you want to unload them you got to pay. But the NCAA has proven for decades now that they do everything for the money, not for the student athletes and never, never, ever for fairness and equality among member institutions.

We are going to win the portal for sure in basketball. Look at our program and our roster. Can any player besides maybe Williams, transfer to a "better" school and have a reasonable expectation to get the same playing time as at Memphis? No way. The only player that will be willing to risk that is at the level of Dedric Lawson or Austin Nichols.

DJ is supposedly going to MSU. I highly doubt Boogie and Baugh will go to better programs and I would be shocked if both get the same playing time and exceed the production they had here, if they go to a peer school.

In a free for all, the best recruiter wins, and I'll put my money on Penny every day. We are going to grab guys exactly like Warren and Timberlake every year. It will be awesome if either of them turn out to be great, but if they turn out to be good role players or don't pan out, it won't be do or die. We are going to have a solid roster every year.

(04-09-2021 06:45 AM)cmt Wrote:  

(04-08-2021 10:23 PM)SeñorTiger Wrote:  

(04-08-2021 06:59 PM)cmt Wrote:  Sadly, you're looking at this from the positive spin side. The truth is the Self's and Saban's (and maybe the Penny's) of the world will send kids packing into the portal if they don't measure up, with no conscience at all, and then swoop in and take the best of the rest to fill the spots. All they have to do is let ECU best player know they want him, he enters portal and becomes a tar heel.

The kids think they are winning in this, they aren't. We need to go ahead and pay the players and sign real contracts for a specified number of seasons. Then if you want to unload them you got to pay. But the NCAA has proven for decades now that they do everything for the money, not for the student athletes and never, never, ever for fairness and equality among member institutions.

Why are the kids not winning? They have freedom choice and movement. So long as coaches can leave without penalty then I am all for kids getting the freedom to do the same.

Because the coach is still in charge. Who's getting millions? They will kick kids to the curb now without hesitation.

The kids are for sure winning, comparatively. They aren't tied down to a bad situation where they have to sit out for a year. It is foolish to think otherwise.

(04-09-2021 09:24 AM)Stammers Wrote:  

(04-08-2021 06:59 PM)cmt Wrote:  Sadly, you're looking at this from the positive spin side. The truth is the Self's and Saban's (and maybe the Penny's) of the world will send kids packing into the portal if they don't measure up, with no conscience at all, and then swoop in and take the best of the rest to fill the spots. All they have to do is let ECU best player know they want him, he enters portal and becomes a tar heel.

The kids think they are winning in this, they aren't. We need to go ahead and pay the players and sign real contracts for a specified number of seasons. Then if you want to unload them you got to pay. But the NCAA has proven for decades now that they do everything for the money, not for the student athletes and never, never, ever for fairness and equality among member institutions.

We are going to win the portal for sure in basketball. Look at our program and our roster. Can any player besides maybe Williams, transfer to a "better" school and have a reasonable expectation to get the same playing time as at Memphis? No way. The only player that will be willing to risk that is at the level of Dedric Lawson or Austin Nichols.

DJ is supposedly going to MSU. I highly doubt Boogie and Baugh will go to better programs and I would be shocked if both get the same playing time and exceed the production they had here, if they go to a peer school.

In a free for all, the best recruiter wins, and I'll put my money on Penny every day. We are going to grab guys exactly like Warren and Timberlake every year. It will be awesome if either of them turn out to be great, but if they turn out to be good role players or don't pan out, it won't be do or die. We are going to have a solid roster every year.

100%

(04-09-2021 09:29 AM)Stammers Wrote:  

(04-09-2021 06:45 AM)cmt Wrote:  

(04-08-2021 10:23 PM)SeñorTiger Wrote:  

(04-08-2021 06:59 PM)cmt Wrote:  Sadly, you're looking at this from the positive spin side. The truth is the Self's and Saban's (and maybe the Penny's) of the world will send kids packing into the portal if they don't measure up, with no conscience at all, and then swoop in and take the best of the rest to fill the spots. All they have to do is let ECU best player know they want him, he enters portal and becomes a tar heel.

The kids think they are winning in this, they aren't. We need to go ahead and pay the players and sign real contracts for a specified number of seasons. Then if you want to unload them you got to pay. But the NCAA has proven for decades now that they do everything for the money, not for the student athletes and never, never, ever for fairness and equality among member institutions.

Why are the kids not winning? They have freedom choice and movement. So long as coaches can leave without penalty then I am all for kids getting the freedom to do the same.

Because the coach is still in charge. Who's getting millions? They will kick kids to the curb now without hesitation.

The kids are for sure winning, comparatively. They aren't tied down to a bad situation where they have to sit out for a year. It is foolish to think otherwise.

The talented kids are winning.

(04-09-2021 09:38 AM)macgar32 Wrote:  

(04-09-2021 09:29 AM)Stammers Wrote:  

(04-09-2021 06:45 AM)cmt Wrote:  

(04-08-2021 10:23 PM)SeñorTiger Wrote:  

(04-08-2021 06:59 PM)cmt Wrote:  Sadly, you're looking at this from the positive spin side. The truth is the Self's and Saban's (and maybe the Penny's) of the world will send kids packing into the portal if they don't measure up, with no conscience at all, and then swoop in and take the best of the rest to fill the spots. All they have to do is let ECU best player know they want him, he enters portal and becomes a tar heel.

The kids think they are winning in this, they aren't. We need to go ahead and pay the players and sign real contracts for a specified number of seasons. Then if you want to unload them you got to pay. But the NCAA has proven for decades now that they do everything for the money, not for the student athletes and never, never, ever for fairness and equality among member institutions.

Why are the kids not winning? They have freedom choice and movement. So long as coaches can leave without penalty then I am all for kids getting the freedom to do the same.

Because the coach is still in charge. Who's getting millions? They will kick kids to the curb now without hesitation.

The kids are for sure winning, comparatively. They aren't tied down to a bad situation where they have to sit out for a year. It is foolish to think otherwise.

The talented kids are winning.

You are for sure going to have cases where some less talented kids lose out, but on the other hand, in most cases a move is a good thing for them. Would David Wingett, Drew Barham, Tre'Von Willis, Jeff Robinson, or Baugh be better off rotting on the bench at Memphis?

The transfer portal will probably be good for the Tigers in basketball. We have a brand, we have the right guy leading the team, and are on TV all the time. And... there is a post season tournament that 69 teams can qualify for. There is a clear path for us to win a title.

In football, though, we are more at risk of being "the poached". I imagine that had there been the same transfer rules over the past 4 years, someone in Knoxville would have delivered a message thru back-channels to Brady White that there is a SEC team that badly needs a proven QB. I'm not saying Brady would have left, only that there would have been the clear opportunity for one team to tamper with another team's players, particularly if there is a particular need. This is going to happen, and there is no way the NCAA can control that.