OT: Transfer portal hits new heights...with an early enrollee freshman!
USC early enrollee freshman Bru McCoy put his name in the transfer portal. He was a 5-star, the #1 athlete, and the #9 overall player in the class of 2019. He committed to USC at the All-American Bowl in early January when Kliff Kingsbury was the offensive coordinator at USC, a few days before the Arizona Cardinals hired him away to be their head coach.
Now it appears that McCoy will end up at Texas. There's no word yet (obviously) on whether he will be eligible as a freshman this fall or if he will have to wait until 2020 to play.
January 24th, 2019 at 6:04 PM ^
No shit, that is quick. He can say he got intimidated his first week in class and get a waiver.
January 24th, 2019 at 8:40 PM ^
The beautiful USC cheerleaders made him uneasy.
January 24th, 2019 at 8:46 PM ^
Guess he'll be just as uneasy at Texas.
January 24th, 2019 at 9:28 PM ^
Speaking from experience..... uneasier.
6th Street in Austin is a fucking candy store for a young man
January 24th, 2019 at 11:38 PM ^
Maybe he found out he had to take a test.
January 24th, 2019 at 6:05 PM ^
The NCAA needs to do more to control these kids and prevent this
January 24th, 2019 at 6:13 PM ^
The whole thing is just a farce at this point, for players and coaches (and fans). There's no loyalty, there's no commitment, there's no accountability, etc.
It's not good for the game, IMO. When players are transferring willy nilly and you have no idea who's going to be wearing your team's jersey from year to year, it's hard to establish an affinity for that particular player.
I like old transfer rules (prior to all the presumed exceptions), where you sit out a year if you transfer, unless you're a graduate transfer guy.
Meanwhile, NCAA coaches should also have to sit out a year unless taking a promotion from position coach to coordinator or from coordinator to head coach. If you want to coach the next year, go coach at an FCS or D-II school for a year before coming back to FBS.
January 24th, 2019 at 6:25 PM ^
Or unless they're fired or their contract is up. I dunno though. The latter is never allowed to happen, and if a guy wants to earn a lot more money, who are we to tell him no? It would really dry up the pool of coaches the P5 programs could choose from.
Likewise, I'm not sure the year penalty for transferring has deterred anyone and created any loyalty, commitment, or accountability. And it's not like it would've stopped Kingsbury going to the NFL. I like the idea of one free transfer. I also would like that to mean you can use it to change teams after you graduate or before, but still only once.
This is why the early signing period sucks ass. It's right in the middle of coaching silly season.
January 24th, 2019 at 9:13 PM ^
Why not impose a bigger financial burden on coaches who leave (with possible exemption for promotions or nfl)? Players sit out a year, coaches lose money...everyone is incentivized to stay in place
January 25th, 2019 at 12:30 AM ^
Why should everyone be incentivized to stay?
Your exemption is most of the movement...promotions, firings, retirement are all more common than someone taking a lateral move.
What's funny is we're the benefit of a coach taking a lateral move and everyone is on here bitching. So we need to incentivize Harbaugh to keep Pep Hamilton or Tim Drevno rather than work to find improvements?
Don Brown and God, I mean Ed Warriner also took lateral moves. But we should encourage them to stay put so we can't get better and they can't earn what is a promotion not in title, but in prestige, money, career development, etc.
Fans are so fickle.
January 24th, 2019 at 6:46 PM ^
That seems like an awful take.
Students should be able to transfer without penalties, like any other student.
Coaches should be allowed to change jobs without penalties, like any other profession.
If it's "not good for the game", so be it. It's a game of throw ball, we'll all be okay if the quality takes a minor drop in this one area.
January 24th, 2019 at 6:57 PM ^
They're not just any student. They're students getting a free education who also get a bunch of perks, have fans/coaches invested in them, etc.
Also, students can't transfer without penalty. If you transfer too much as a regular student, you run the risk of having your credits disappear if they're not accepted by your new university. If you take a new job, you lose accrued retirement time, sick days, seniority, priority vacation picks, etc.
There are penalties in the real world for ditching your previous employer. Student-athletes aren't unique in that situation.
January 24th, 2019 at 7:10 PM ^
Yes - they are just another student (especially if we are to believe the NCAA - which it sounds like you do).
All those risks you mentioned "regular students" facing would also be faced by student-athletes. So why should they have an extra burden placed on them?
January 24th, 2019 at 7:11 PM ^
The dreaded double post
January 24th, 2019 at 7:11 PM ^
Okay sure, they're there for free. If a non student athlete was on scholarship and wanted to transfer, they wouldn't have to sit out a year. Why should a student athlete?
Sure they have perks, but they also bring in millions of dollars to the school. What kind of backwards ass logic is that? You bring in revenue to the school moreso than any other student, so you have the most restrictions on you?
Coaches are adults who can leave with no penalty at any point, they also know the job and what they signed up for.
And fuck the fans. Any adult who thinks their "investment" in an 18 year old's college decisions should matter can fuck off, they're delusional and pathetic.
I don't get the point of your second paragraph. A student athlete transferring in this scenario runs the same risks of losing credits, etc. Why should an athlete have an added penalty of sitting out a year competitively? Same with the coaches, they run the same risks currently as any other employee you mentioned when they switch jobs. Why should they have extra penalties applied to them?
Yeah, there are real world penalties. And coaches in the current climate face them like any other employee. So do student athletes, they have the same risks as any other student if they transfer. You act like students and coaches face no risks or penalties as is, which is just flat out wrong. Why should and 18 year old kid be penalized even more for being an elite athlete who helps bring his school millions of dollars, of which he sees none?
January 24th, 2019 at 7:25 PM ^
With great power comes great responsibility. These kids know they put fans in the seats, bring money to the school, etc. They know it's a business decision. I think it's backwards to see them go through all this and then say, "Oh, he's just an innocent student. He had no idea what he was getting himself into." I've been around these kids and their parents and their coaches. I've talked to these college coaches. These kids know exactly what's going on in the world of college sports. I'm not saying some coaches don't attempt to dupe them, but they know the deal: coaches are going to come and go.
A bunch of these kids come into college thinking, "I'm the man! I'm going to be a star! I'm going to the league! I'm going to run this place!" But you're acting as if they're just poor, naive, innocent souls who can't handle sticking with a decision for a year or three.
January 24th, 2019 at 7:53 PM ^
That logic is so backwards it hurts.
Yeah sure, kids know coaches are going to leave. Coaches also know kids are going to transfer. Why is it an accepted truth that coaches leave but you're vilifying the kids for leaving? Especially since the coaches have more power than the kids, the kids who literally aren't legal adults going through this process.
You're acting like college should be a legally binding contract where kids shouldn't be allowed to leave, even if coaches are duping them (which you admitted happens). Or even if it just isn't what they expected that they shouldn't be allowed to go to a place that better serves their needs. Should normal undergrads be forced to stay at a school for 3 years too? Because Magnus says so?
We're clearly not going to agree here, so I'm not going to waste finger energy anymore, but I sincerely hope most prospective college athletes aren't getting this advice. Because all you're doing is helping the coaches at the kids expense.
January 24th, 2019 at 8:16 PM ^
Huh? First of all, I'm not vilifying the kids. Nowhere did I say they're terrible people or anything like that.
Second, I said above that the coaches should also have to sit out a year. So I think they should be held accountable, too.
The people involved here should be held accountable on both sides.
But yeah, agree to disagree.
January 24th, 2019 at 8:43 PM ^
"Second, I said above that the coaches should also have to sit out a year. So I think they should be held accountable, too."
As stated above, how does that prevent Kingsbury going to the NFL?
January 24th, 2019 at 9:19 PM ^
It doesn't. It's a whole separate entity.
And FBS players can certainly go pursue playing their sport outside of the FBS, too, without incurring a penalty.
January 24th, 2019 at 9:29 PM ^
"And FBS players can certainly go pursue playing their sport outside of the FBS"
But they can't go to the NFL (unless they are out of high school for 3 years), so it is not remotely the same thing. Look, I agree that this is not good for the game, but this is good for the person. Put yourself in this kid's shoes. If I committed to a school, and then the coach that made a lot of promises (I assume) to me split, then I'd be pissed too. Maybe USC should have made it harder for Kingsbury to break out of his contract (not sure if that is possible since he went to the NFL) or at least did a better job of vetting him.
January 24th, 2019 at 9:35 PM ^
Players' inability to go to the NFL is not the NCAA's problem. The NCAA has no jurisdiction over the NFL.
January 25th, 2019 at 5:07 AM ^
"With great power comes great responsibility."
For god's sake, it's just a game, Magnus. It's not like he's saving lives, curing cancer, or fighting crime.
January 24th, 2019 at 7:48 PM ^
"Fuck the fans" is a bridge too far here. OK, so the athlete brings in millions of dollars for the school. Who pays those millions of dollars, exactly?
January 24th, 2019 at 8:40 PM ^
Okay sure, they're there for free. If a non student athlete was on scholarship and wanted to transfer, they wouldn't have to sit out a year. Why should a student athlete?
Sure they have perks, but they also bring in millions of dollars to the school. What kind of backwards ass logic is that? You bring in revenue to the school moreso than any other student, so you have the most restrictions on you?
That's the kicker that proves your point: non-revenue students can transfer once and not sit out a year. The transfer rules are about the money, not the students. Schools fear they will lose money if their star QB or PG transfers, so they make that difficult. The star setter transferring isn't a cost issue, so that transfer is easy.
January 25th, 2019 at 10:14 AM ^
"And fuck the fans. Any adult who thinks their "investment" in an 18 year old's college decisions should matter can fuck off, they're delusional and pathetic."
I agree completely. Some fans act as if they own student athletes and seem to take offense to whatever they construe as a lack of loyalty. I was a bit surprised Magnus has that mindset.
January 24th, 2019 at 11:53 PM ^
Fans are so effing dumb.
When you all argue that you don't want to pay the players you talk about their education and them being a student.
When they transfer "willy nilly" ...they're not just any student.
STOP MOVING THE GOALPOSTS!!!!
January 25th, 2019 at 7:36 AM ^
Speaking of moving the goalposts...
...you're implying both of those things are my argument. That's not my argument against paying the players. I think football players should be paid.
January 25th, 2019 at 10:04 AM ^
Whenever someone says something's "not good for the game" it rings as BS. It doesn't hurt the game, the person dislikes transfers or whatever other topic is being discussed, but there's no harm to the game from tens of student athletes tranferring out of thousands.
January 24th, 2019 at 7:45 PM ^
So it’s ok for a D1 coach to screw a lower division school/team by coaching for a year then leaving, just so they can take another D1 job?
January 24th, 2019 at 8:00 PM ^
Coaches could still go the NFL unlike the players. The root of the problem is the restriction of player earnings and until that is fixed these problems will stay the same.
Why stay loyal to a school that is helping restrict your earnings?
January 24th, 2019 at 8:11 PM ^
Despite the intense scrutiny and discussion around transfers and the transfer portal, transfers are still the exception rather than the norm. The overwhelming majority of players will spend their entire FBS college careers with one program. Transfers generate a lot of headlines, but they're actually very few in number.
January 24th, 2019 at 9:29 PM ^
I actually think an NCAA regulation on coaches changing jobs might run into some legal problems. It might very well be considered a violation of antitrust law. From a legal perspective, it's not all that different than the NCAA regulation on coaches' salaries that was struck down in the late 90's.
January 24th, 2019 at 9:35 PM ^
I agree with this.
The whole reasons a large group of fans (myself included) enjoys college football more than pro football is that you can really learn about a kid and watch them grow and develop over several seasons. You can really get invested in the players with the knowledge that (unlike the NFL) your favorite player will still be there in a few seasons.
You destroy that, and you destroy a large reason why people watch college football, imo.
January 25th, 2019 at 6:39 AM ^
Transfers have always been a part of college sports. Larry Bird bailed on Indiana a month into his freshman year.
I don't think the needs of the fans should be the top priority here, anyway.
January 24th, 2019 at 9:42 PM ^
the NCAA doesn’t have a leg to stand on.They don’t have an antitrust exemption and would loose any major court case. This is the new reality
January 24th, 2019 at 10:11 PM ^
Players still have to sit out a year. Shocked to see magnus with such a simpleton opinion. It’s not like players can leave for no reason at any time.
January 25th, 2019 at 8:05 AM ^
Things seem to be trending in the direction that players are going to be given exemptions to play immediately. We'll see if that's accurate or not.
January 25th, 2019 at 12:33 AM ^
So if you, Magnus, are an OC at Kansas. You have to sit to take a OC job at Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, Clemson?
Those are clearly promotions, within your job AND financially.
But because your job title doesn't change you should be penalized?
You should rethink that one a little bit.
January 25th, 2019 at 5:59 AM ^
While this is a little messy, I'd rather err on the side of giving players too much freedom to transfer than too little. College is a pretty brief time in your life - I'd like to see most guys end up where they're happiest.
I don't think it's realistic or frankly desirable to make coaches sit out a year when they change jobs, either. So when "it's happening!" and you hire your dream coach, you then have to wait 12 months for him to actually start?
January 24th, 2019 at 9:10 PM ^
How pissed would UM fans be if Dax Hill signed with us but then a month later entered the portal and ended up at Alabama?
We would be PISSED. Obviously there needs to be some accountability on the athletes part. They cant sign and then leave right after.
January 25th, 2019 at 12:43 AM ^
MY GOD that makes no sense.
So because we'd be mad means that it shouldn't happen?
Listen to yourself.
These things are not mutually exclusive. If Dax left, yes...we'd be mad. And that's perfect fine. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have the right to leave.
See that's what people don't get...THOSE ARE THE CONSEQUENCES...you have a whole fan base that hates you, you're considered flaky, you're going to get negative press.
That's a consequence and one these guys will have to weigh. But all this other stuff is a PENALTY. Fans being mad doesn't mean someone should be penalized. Fans being mad are legit grounds for some consequences that everyone may not like.
January 25th, 2019 at 10:35 AM ^
Those same fans would have been jumping for joy if Dax signed with Alabama and then transferred to Michigan after a month. Not sure of your point here.
January 24th, 2019 at 6:08 PM ^
Why? Coaches can leave without any fidelity to the program or the kids who just signed. Signing day got moved up to lock in recruits earlier, but just happens to be a few weeks before the major coaching carousel.
I don't see anything wrong with it at all. If I commit to Kingsbury and he leaves, why should I have to stay four years ?
January 24th, 2019 at 6:13 PM ^
Damned right! Kid should be allowed to go straight to the NFL! /s
January 24th, 2019 at 6:34 PM ^
Kids should be allowed to go straight to the NFL.
Fixed it for you
January 24th, 2019 at 8:07 PM ^
Ok, but why should the NFL have to take them?
January 24th, 2019 at 8:38 PM ^
IMO, If they're good enough to go straight into the NFL they should be allowed to do so. If they need more training they can pay for it or get it FREE by playing college ball. Once in college they should have to stay 2-3 years.
January 24th, 2019 at 6:14 PM ^
If you're unsure whether I'm being serious, see the last thread about the transfer portal