While I am supportive of college athletes receiving benefits, the craziness that has become the transfer portal is precisely what many were afraid of with the starting of the new rules concerning name, image, and likeness- the transfer portal winding up as the college games version of the NFL's free agent frenzy.
It appears that NIL is ignoring the one rule that was supposed to be intact- NIL was not to use as a recruiting inducement and that's how it is being used.
The only answer I foresee is deciding which is more important to athletes- the NIL money or the ability to transfer immediately and as many times as the player wishes.
Without eliminating one or the other, college football and basketball are in danger of not becoming a renegade culture that only follows the bottom line but one that blatantly flaunts the highest bidder to be true to their school- namely the boosters and organizations that will fill the coffers of their schools to recruit the best and brightest of the players in the transfer portal.
The game has changed from paying unproven high school prospects to paying for proven performers in the portal which is going to give programs and boosters far more bang for their buck.
This is all new to everyone and there are always bumps in any new road but this has to be a solution that is tackled quickly.
The best answer to me is this- Remove unlimited transfers and only allow one transfer with immediate eligibility.
This won't solve the problem completely but it would be a start.
Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson has accepted the head coaching position at Tulsa which makes a lot of sense for Wilson as he has Oklahoma connections from his days as a Sooner assistant.
Wilson was doing a good job at Indiana in building the Hoosiers before his departure for treatment of players and there have been no reports of issues with Wilson at Ohio State, so perhaps his second chance will be a successful one with the Golden Hurricane in the AAC.
I wasn't surprised to see Jeff Brohm leave Purdue to return to his alma mater, Louisville as Brohm had hinted through the years that he would be amenable to such an offer but what I am really interested in is where Purdue goes for his replacement.
In the last fifty years, each time that Purdue football has popped up with success it has been with offensive-minded coaches (Jim Young, Joe Tiller, and Brohm) and it would only make sense to do so again.
The Big 10's new media contract will make even the lowest program more desirable than all but the elite powers from any other conference other than the SEC, so it'll be interesting to see how many dollars are spent on the new head coach.
Three names stand out to me for Purdue, if they are interested.
Wake Forest's Dave Clawson has done an outstanding job and with a midwest background could Purdue interest him enough to return to the heartland?
Another could be former Mississippi State and Florida head coach Dan Mullen.
Mullen may be one of those coaches that thrives more with a program with modest expectations than one with top-level aspirations.
And a real dark horse, although he is not from an offensive background is Jim Leonhard, who recently served as Wisconsin's interim coach.
Purdue could leap in to snare a rival school's legend and create a new rivalry with the Badgers.
I'm writing this, hours after Baker Mayfield's return with the Los Angeles Rams less than a week after being waived by the Carolina Panthers and his leading the Rams to a game-winning ninety-eight-yard drive to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders.
I've been critical of Mayfield for years but last night made me think a bit about what role might be best for him.
I still don't think that a Baker Mayfield-led team can make a championship run but he might be best suited in a position that NFL teams haven't used for years- a fireman.
Fireman used to be the term used for star relief pitchers in the 70s when star relievers would be used at whatever place in the game they were needed and pitch multiple innings rather than the current closer that usually pitches an inning when their team leads.
Perhaps Mayfield could be that for a good team, similar to Don Strock, as the backup that comes off the bench to give a team a spark when its needed?
I think he could be successful if used in that manner as he seems to play better when the expectations and odds are against him, so perhaps that could be an answer to someone getting the best of his abilities.
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