By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:
THE PORTAL GIVETH AND THE PORTAL TAKETH AWAY
If you’re keeping score, Billy Napier and the Florida Gators have taken a 4-3 lead in the transfer portal with a decision due today from linebacker Mohamoud Diabate. Diabate is from Auburn and no one would be surprised if he elects to finish out his college football career playing for the hometown team, but there is also a chance he will decide that a revamped Florida defensive staff that will be long on NFL experience is a better option.
It’s 4-3 because the losses of wide receiver Jacob Copeland (Maryland), offensive lineman Gerald Mincey (Tennessee) and Khris Bogle (Michigan State) have been countered by the additions of former Ohio State QB Jack Miller III and Trenton Brown-sized Louisiana offensive tackle Kamryn Waites (6-8, 358), and the about face of edge rusher Lloyd Summerall III and D-lineman Dante Zanders, who pulled their names out of the portal.
Adding Diabate, who has 157 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss and an interception to show for his time at UF, would be a real recruiting coup for Napier, who just last week got good news that linebacker Ventrell Miller and his 168 career tackles (7.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and a pick six) is coming back. For a defense that had too many games the last two years in which it played dazed and confused, a pair of experienced linebackers is a nice place to begin the rebuild.
There will be more transfers, some leaving and some newbies who are going to find Napier’s fresh new approach appealing. Napier is not going to take the old wait and see approach. While preaching patience, he is planning to win next season and to do that it will take transfers. Maybe a bunch of them.
Here is what the roster looks like as of January 3:
QUARTERBACKS (4)
Anthony Richardson (6-4, 235, SO), Jack Miller III (6-4, 210, SO/Transfer from Ohio State), Carlos Del Rio-Wilson (6-2, 225, RFR), Jalen Kitna (6-4, 210, RFR)
Gone (1): Emory Jones (6-2, 211, Transfer)
RUNNING BACKS (3)
NayQuan Wright (5-9, 196, JR), Lorenzo Lingard (6-0, 203, RJR), Demarkcus Bowman (5-10, 193, SO)
Gone (2): Dameon Pierce (5-10, 215, Graduate), Malik Davis (5-10, 207, Graduate)
WIDE RECEIVERS (7)
Justin Shorter (6-5, 228, SR), Trent Whittemore (6-4, 211, RSO), Ja’Markis Weston (6-3, 215, RSO), Xzavier Henderson (6-3, 195, SO), Ja’Quavion Fraziars (6-3, 220, SO), Marcus Burke (6-4, 187, RFR), Daejon Reynolds (6-2, 205, RFR)
Gone (3): Jacob Copeland (6-0, 202, RJR, Transferred to Maryland), Rick Wells (6-1, 200, Graduate), Jordan Pouncey (6-1, 208, Graduate)
TIGHT ENDS (5)
Keon Zipperer (6-3, 242, JR), Jonathan Odom (6-5, 240, RFR), Gage Wilcox (6-4, 230, RFR), Nick Elksnis (6-6, 243, RFR)
Signed: Tony Livingston (6-5, 225)
Gone: Kemore Gamble (6-4, 243, Graduate)
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (14)
Richard Gouraige (6-5, 312, RJR), Ethan White (6-5, 319, JR), Kingsley Eguakun (6-4, 303, RSO), Josh Braun (6-6, 342, SO), Michael Tarquin (6-5, 302, RSO), Riley Simonds (6-3, 303, RSO), Will Harrod (6-5, 325, RSO), Richie Leonard (6-2, 310, SO), Austin Barber (6-6, 312, RFR), Yousef Mugharbil (6-4, 318, RFR) Jake Slaughter (6-5, 303, RFR), Kamryn Waites (6-8, 358, RFR/Transfer from Louisiana)
Signed (2): David Conner (6-5, 295); Christian Williams (6-4, 319)
Gone (3): Jean Delance (6-5, 307, Graduate); Stewart Reese (6-6, 345, Graduate); Gerald Mincey (6-6, 320, Transferred to Tennessee)
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (13)
Griffin McDowell (6-4, 297, RJR), Dante Zanders (6-5, 291, RJR), Gervon Dexter (6-6, 303, SO), Princely Umanmeielen (6-4, 260, SO), Jaelin Humphries (6-3, 328, RSO), Desmond Watson (6-5, 390, SO), Jalen Lee (6-2, 305, SO), Lamar Goods (6-2, 332, RFR), Justus Boone (6-4, 252, RFR), Chris Thomas Jr. (6-5, 314, RFR), Tyreak Sapp (6-3, 251, RFR)
Signed (2): Chris McClellan (6-3, 305); Jamari Lyons (6-4, 298)
Gone (4): Antonio Valentino (6-3, 312, Graduate), Daquan Newkirk (6-2, 308, Graduate), Tyrone Truesdell (6-2, 326, GR), Zachary Carter (6-4, 285, Graduate)
LINEBACKERS/EDGE (10)
Ventrell Miller (6-1, 226, SR), Brenton Cox Jr. (6-4, 253, RJR), David Reese (6-2, 230, RJR), Diwun Black (6-3, 228, JR), Ty’Ron Hopper (6-2, 228, RSO), Lloyd Summerall III (6-5, 247, RSO), Derek Wingo (6-1, 224, SO), Antuan Powell (6-2, 255, RFR), Chief Borders (6-4, 241, RFR), Scooby Williams (6-2, 230, RFR)
Gone (5): Jeremiah Moon (6-5, 245, Graduate), Amari Burney (6-2, 239, Graduate), Lacedrick Brunson (6-2, 229, Graduate), Mohamoud Diabate (6-3, 227, Transfer), Khris Bogle (6-4, 240, transfer to Michigan State)
SECONDARY (16)
Jadarrius Perkins (6-1, 182, JR), Jaydon Hill (6-0, 182, RSO), Avery Helm (6-1, 180, SO), Jason Marshall Jr. (6-0, 191, SO), Rashad Torrence II (6-0, 205, SO), Tre’Vez Johnson (5-11, 192, SO), Kamar Wilcoxson (6-1, 200, SO), Donovan McMillon (6-1, 197, SO), Mordecai McDaniel (6-1, 191, SO), Fenley Graham Jr. (5-9, 171, SO), Ethan Pouncey (6-1, 175, SO), Jordan Young (6-0, 185, RFR), Corey Collier Jr. (6-1, 180, RFR), Dakota Mitchell (5-11, 182, RFR)
Signed (2): Kamari Wilson (6-0, 201), Devin Moore (6-3, 190)
Gone (2): Trey Dean III (6-3, 206, Graduate); * Kaiir Elam (6-2, 196, NFL)
* Hasn’t declared for the NFL or hired an agent so he can return
SPECIAL TEAMS (4)
Long snappers (2): Marco Ortiz (6-4, 233, RJR), Rocco Underwood (6-3, 229, RFR)
Punter (1): Jeremy Crawshaw (6-4, 193, SO)
Signed (1): Trey Smack (6-1, 200)
DOING THE QUARTERBACK SHUFFLE
When we last saw Caleb Williams, he was throwing for 242 yards and three TDs to lead Oklahoma to a 47-32 win over Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. Monday, he announced he has put his name in the transfer portal, which created immediate speculation that he will transfer to Southern Cal to join former OU head ball coach Lincoln Riley.
As a true freshman last season, Williams took over for ineffective Spencer Rattler to lead Oklahoma to a stirring comeback win over Texas and then went 5-2 the rest of the way. He finished the season with 1,912 passing yards and 21 TDPs while running for 435 yards and six touchdowns. Rattler, who began 2021 as the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, has since transferred to South Carolina.
The move raised plenty of eyebrows. Tweeted Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, a former starting quarterback at Colorado, “Caleb Williams is a free agent ‘exploring my options.’ Also ‘who will pay the most?’ Every player is now a free agent every single year! I have always argued that players should enjoy more autonomy over their careers than what they have in the past … This is our new reality and it is not necessarily a bad thing.”
With Williams in the portal, former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who was set to transfer to UCLA, withdrew his commitment and immediately committed to Oklahoma, where he will be reunited with Jeff Lebby, who was his offensive coordinator at UCF. Lebby spent the 2021 season calling the plays at Ole Miss for Matt Corral. At OU, where he will be working for Jeff Venables, Lebby will be the highest paid offensive coordinator in the country at $2.1 million.
McKenzie Milton, who was a brilliant quarterback at UCF before a horrendous knee injury that nearly cost him his life and later his leg, took to Twitter to announce, “OU just got better at [quarterback].” At UCF, Gabriel threw for 8,041 yards and 70 touchdowns with just 14 interceptions.
Back to Williams. With all this speculation that Williams will transfer to Southern Cal to play for Riley, it should be noted that Riley inherits Jaxson Dart and Miller Moss, a pair of rising sophomores with pro arms who were 4-star recruits with plenty of big time offers coming out of high school. Brandon Huffman of 247Sports speculated that UCLA could be a serious player to land Williams.
SEC FOOTBALL
Tuesday’s game: LSU (6-6) vs. Kansas State (7-5) in the Texas Bowl
SEC BASKETBALL
Tuesday’s games: No. 9 Auburn 12-1, 1-0 SEC) at South Carolina (9-3, 0-0 SEC); No. 16 Kentucky (11-2, 1-0 SEC) at No. 21 LSU (12-1, 0-1 SEC); Texas A&M (11-2, 0-0 SEC) at Georgia (5-8, 0-0 SEC); Vanderbilt (8-4) at Arkansas (10-3)
Wednesday’s games: No. 15 Alabama (10-3, 1-0 SEC) at FLORIDA (9-3, 0-0 SEC); Ole Miss (8-4, 0-0 SEC) at No. 18 Tennessee (9-3, 0-1 SEC); Mississippi State (10-3, 1-0 SEC) at Missouri (6-7, 0-1 SEC), Postponed
The Associated Press Top 25 poll: 1. Baylor 13-0; 2. Duke 11-1; 3. Purdue 12-1; 4. Gonzaga 11-2; 5. UCLA 8-1; 6. Kansas 11-1; 7. Southern Cal 12-0; 8. Arizona 11-1; 9. Auburn 12-1; 10. Michigan State 12-2; 11. Iowa State 12-1; 12. Houston 12-2; 13. Ohio State 9-2; 14. Texas 11-2; 15. Alabama 10-3; 16. (Tie) Providence 13-1 and Kentucky 11-2; 18. Tennessee 9-3; 19. Villanova 9-4; 20. Colorado State 10-0; 21. LSU 12-1; 22. Xavier 11-2; 23. Wisconsin 10-2; 24. Seton Hall 9-3; 25. Texas Tech 10-2
The Coaches Top 25 poll: 1. Baylor 13-0; 2. Duke 11-1; 3. Purdue 12-1; 4. Gonzaga 11-2; 5. UCLA 8-1; 6. Kansas 11-1; 7. Arizona 11-1; 8. Southern Cal 12-0; 9. Auburn 12-1; 10. Michigan State 12-2; 11. Iowa State 12-1; 13. Kentucky 11-2; 14. Houston 12-2; 15. Villanova 9-4; 16. Texas 11-2; 17. Providence 13-1; 18. Tennessee 9-3; 19. Colorado State 10-0; 20. Alabama 10-3; 21. LSU 12-1; 22. Seton Hall 9-3; 23. Wisconsin 10-2; 24. Xavier 11-2; 25. Texas Tech 10-2
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Lincoln Riley, who coached two Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks (Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray) at Oklahoma and had a third on the podium (Jalen Hurts) in New York, flirted with LSU, which was offering more than $12 million a year, used his agent to let Scott Stricklin know he would entertain an offer from Florida to replace Dan Mullen, and then took a mega deal to go to Southern Cal, sold himself to the highest bidder. Who can blame him? Southern Cal offers unlimited use of a private jet, the beach at Malibu and Beverly Hills mansions and no tornadoes, not to mention the fact Riley will have an easier time making the College Football Playoff in the weak Pac-12 than he ever would in the SEC where Oklahoma is heading?
This is the reality in which we live today. Coaches take the money and run, leaving behind players and a ton of empty promises. I don’t blame a coach for taking a better deal, particularly since he’ll get fired if he doesn’t win big enough to satisfy the deep pocket alums who think they run the athletic program (see Gus Malzahn who will have to squeeze by on the $21.8 million Auburn paid to send him on his merry way).
Since a coach can pack up and leave on a moment’s notice, tweeting farewells to the kids left behind (see Brian Kelly), then kids have the right to transfer out. A lot of folks think the transfer portal will be the death of college football as we know it but football will adjust. We thought the same thing when scholarships were reduced to 105 and then to 85, which is where they are now, and it didn’t kill the sport. NIL is far more dangerous than the portal, but it’s the world we live in and college football will find a way to adjust.
So, what’s good for the coach should be – and is – good for the players although they don’t get $12 million buyouts when they leave the building.
A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:
THE PORTAL GIVETH AND THE PORTAL TAKETH AWAY
If you’re keeping score, Billy Napier and the Florida Gators have taken a 4-3 lead in the transfer portal with a decision due today from linebacker Mohamoud Diabate. Diabate is from Auburn and no one would be surprised if he elects to finish out his college football career playing for the hometown team, but there is also a chance he will decide that a revamped Florida defensive staff that will be long on NFL experience is a better option.
It’s 4-3 because the losses of wide receiver Jacob Copeland (Maryland), offensive lineman Gerald Mincey (Tennessee) and Khris Bogle (Michigan State) have been countered by the additions of former Ohio State QB Jack Miller III and Trenton Brown-sized Louisiana offensive tackle Kamryn Waites (6-8, 358), and the about face of edge rusher Lloyd Summerall III and D-lineman Dante Zanders, who pulled their names out of the portal.
Adding Diabate, who has 157 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss and an interception to show for his time at UF, would be a real recruiting coup for Napier, who just last week got good news that linebacker Ventrell Miller and his 168 career tackles (7.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and a pick six) is coming back. For a defense that had too many games the last two years in which it played dazed and confused, a pair of experienced linebackers is a nice place to begin the rebuild.
There will be more transfers, some leaving and some newbies who are going to find Napier’s fresh new approach appealing. Napier is not going to take the old wait and see approach. While preaching patience, he is planning to win next season and to do that it will take transfers. Maybe a bunch of them.
Here is what the roster looks like as of January 3:
QUARTERBACKS (4)
Anthony Richardson (6-4, 235, SO), Jack Miller III (6-4, 210, SO/Transfer from Ohio State), Carlos Del Rio-Wilson (6-2, 225, RFR), Jalen Kitna (6-4, 210, RFR)
Gone (1): Emory Jones (6-2, 211, Transfer)
RUNNING BACKS (3)
NayQuan Wright (5-9, 196, JR), Lorenzo Lingard (6-0, 203, RJR), Demarkcus Bowman (5-10, 193, SO)
Gone (2): Dameon Pierce (5-10, 215, Graduate), Malik Davis (5-10, 207, Graduate)
WIDE RECEIVERS (7)
Justin Shorter (6-5, 228, SR), Trent Whittemore (6-4, 211, RSO), Ja’Markis Weston (6-3, 215, RSO), Xzavier Henderson (6-3, 195, SO), Ja’Quavion Fraziars (6-3, 220, SO), Marcus Burke (6-4, 187, RFR), Daejon Reynolds (6-2, 205, RFR)
Gone (3): Jacob Copeland (6-0, 202, RJR, Transferred to Maryland), Rick Wells (6-1, 200, Graduate), Jordan Pouncey (6-1, 208, Graduate)
TIGHT ENDS (5)
Keon Zipperer (6-3, 242, JR), Jonathan Odom (6-5, 240, RFR), Gage Wilcox (6-4, 230, RFR), Nick Elksnis (6-6, 243, RFR)
Signed: Tony Livingston (6-5, 225)
Gone: Kemore Gamble (6-4, 243, Graduate)
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (14)
Richard Gouraige (6-5, 312, RJR), Ethan White (6-5, 319, JR), Kingsley Eguakun (6-4, 303, RSO), Josh Braun (6-6, 342, SO), Michael Tarquin (6-5, 302, RSO), Riley Simonds (6-3, 303, RSO), Will Harrod (6-5, 325, RSO), Richie Leonard (6-2, 310, SO), Austin Barber (6-6, 312, RFR), Yousef Mugharbil (6-4, 318, RFR) Jake Slaughter (6-5, 303, RFR), Kamryn Waites (6-8, 358, RFR/Transfer from Louisiana)
Signed (2): David Conner (6-5, 295); Christian Williams (6-4, 319)
Gone (3): Jean Delance (6-5, 307, Graduate); Stewart Reese (6-6, 345, Graduate); Gerald Mincey (6-6, 320, Transferred to Tennessee)
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (13)
Griffin McDowell (6-4, 297, RJR), Dante Zanders (6-5, 291, RJR), Gervon Dexter (6-6, 303, SO), Princely Umanmeielen (6-4, 260, SO), Jaelin Humphries (6-3, 328, RSO), Desmond Watson (6-5, 390, SO), Jalen Lee (6-2, 305, SO), Lamar Goods (6-2, 332, RFR), Justus Boone (6-4, 252, RFR), Chris Thomas Jr. (6-5, 314, RFR), Tyreak Sapp (6-3, 251, RFR)
Signed (2): Chris McClellan (6-3, 305); Jamari Lyons (6-4, 298)
Gone (4): Antonio Valentino (6-3, 312, Graduate), Daquan Newkirk (6-2, 308, Graduate), Tyrone Truesdell (6-2, 326, GR), Zachary Carter (6-4, 285, Graduate)
LINEBACKERS/EDGE (10)
Ventrell Miller (6-1, 226, SR), Brenton Cox Jr. (6-4, 253, RJR), David Reese (6-2, 230, RJR), Diwun Black (6-3, 228, JR), Ty’Ron Hopper (6-2, 228, RSO), Lloyd Summerall III (6-5, 247, RSO), Derek Wingo (6-1, 224, SO), Antuan Powell (6-2, 255, RFR), Chief Borders (6-4, 241, RFR), Scooby Williams (6-2, 230, RFR)
Gone (5): Jeremiah Moon (6-5, 245, Graduate), Amari Burney (6-2, 239, Graduate), Lacedrick Brunson (6-2, 229, Graduate), Mohamoud Diabate (6-3, 227, Transfer), Khris Bogle (6-4, 240, transfer to Michigan State)
SECONDARY (16)
Jadarrius Perkins (6-1, 182, JR), Jaydon Hill (6-0, 182, RSO), Avery Helm (6-1, 180, SO), Jason Marshall Jr. (6-0, 191, SO), Rashad Torrence II (6-0, 205, SO), Tre’Vez Johnson (5-11, 192, SO), Kamar Wilcoxson (6-1, 200, SO), Donovan McMillon (6-1, 197, SO), Mordecai McDaniel (6-1, 191, SO), Fenley Graham Jr. (5-9, 171, SO), Ethan Pouncey (6-1, 175, SO), Jordan Young (6-0, 185, RFR), Corey Collier Jr. (6-1, 180, RFR), Dakota Mitchell (5-11, 182, RFR)
Signed (2): Kamari Wilson (6-0, 201), Devin Moore (6-3, 190)
Gone (2): Trey Dean III (6-3, 206, Graduate); * Kaiir Elam (6-2, 196, NFL)
* Hasn’t declared for the NFL or hired an agent so he can return
SPECIAL TEAMS (4)
Long snappers (2): Marco Ortiz (6-4, 233, RJR), Rocco Underwood (6-3, 229, RFR)
Punter (1): Jeremy Crawshaw (6-4, 193, SO)
Signed (1): Trey Smack (6-1, 200)
DOING THE QUARTERBACK SHUFFLE
When we last saw Caleb Williams, he was throwing for 242 yards and three TDs to lead Oklahoma to a 47-32 win over Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. Monday, he announced he has put his name in the transfer portal, which created immediate speculation that he will transfer to Southern Cal to join former OU head ball coach Lincoln Riley.
As a true freshman last season, Williams took over for ineffective Spencer Rattler to lead Oklahoma to a stirring comeback win over Texas and then went 5-2 the rest of the way. He finished the season with 1,912 passing yards and 21 TDPs while running for 435 yards and six touchdowns. Rattler, who began 2021 as the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, has since transferred to South Carolina.
The move raised plenty of eyebrows. Tweeted Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, a former starting quarterback at Colorado, “Caleb Williams is a free agent ‘exploring my options.’ Also ‘who will pay the most?’ Every player is now a free agent every single year! I have always argued that players should enjoy more autonomy over their careers than what they have in the past … This is our new reality and it is not necessarily a bad thing.”
With Williams in the portal, former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who was set to transfer to UCLA, withdrew his commitment and immediately committed to Oklahoma, where he will be reunited with Jeff Lebby, who was his offensive coordinator at UCF. Lebby spent the 2021 season calling the plays at Ole Miss for Matt Corral. At OU, where he will be working for Jeff Venables, Lebby will be the highest paid offensive coordinator in the country at $2.1 million.
McKenzie Milton, who was a brilliant quarterback at UCF before a horrendous knee injury that nearly cost him his life and later his leg, took to Twitter to announce, “OU just got better at [quarterback].” At UCF, Gabriel threw for 8,041 yards and 70 touchdowns with just 14 interceptions.
Back to Williams. With all this speculation that Williams will transfer to Southern Cal to play for Riley, it should be noted that Riley inherits Jaxson Dart and Miller Moss, a pair of rising sophomores with pro arms who were 4-star recruits with plenty of big time offers coming out of high school. Brandon Huffman of 247Sports speculated that UCLA could be a serious player to land Williams.
SEC FOOTBALL
Tuesday’s game: LSU (6-6) vs. Kansas State (7-5) in the Texas Bowl
SEC BASKETBALL
Tuesday’s games: No. 9 Auburn 12-1, 1-0 SEC) at South Carolina (9-3, 0-0 SEC); No. 16 Kentucky (11-2, 1-0 SEC) at No. 21 LSU (12-1, 0-1 SEC); Texas A&M (11-2, 0-0 SEC) at Georgia (5-8, 0-0 SEC); Vanderbilt (8-4) at Arkansas (10-3)
Wednesday’s games: No. 15 Alabama (10-3, 1-0 SEC) at FLORIDA (9-3, 0-0 SEC); Ole Miss (8-4, 0-0 SEC) at No. 18 Tennessee (9-3, 0-1 SEC); Mississippi State (10-3, 1-0 SEC) at Missouri (6-7, 0-1 SEC), Postponed
The Associated Press Top 25 poll: 1. Baylor 13-0; 2. Duke 11-1; 3. Purdue 12-1; 4. Gonzaga 11-2; 5. UCLA 8-1; 6. Kansas 11-1; 7. Southern Cal 12-0; 8. Arizona 11-1; 9. Auburn 12-1; 10. Michigan State 12-2; 11. Iowa State 12-1; 12. Houston 12-2; 13. Ohio State 9-2; 14. Texas 11-2; 15. Alabama 10-3; 16. (Tie) Providence 13-1 and Kentucky 11-2; 18. Tennessee 9-3; 19. Villanova 9-4; 20. Colorado State 10-0; 21. LSU 12-1; 22. Xavier 11-2; 23. Wisconsin 10-2; 24. Seton Hall 9-3; 25. Texas Tech 10-2
The Coaches Top 25 poll: 1. Baylor 13-0; 2. Duke 11-1; 3. Purdue 12-1; 4. Gonzaga 11-2; 5. UCLA 8-1; 6. Kansas 11-1; 7. Arizona 11-1; 8. Southern Cal 12-0; 9. Auburn 12-1; 10. Michigan State 12-2; 11. Iowa State 12-1; 13. Kentucky 11-2; 14. Houston 12-2; 15. Villanova 9-4; 16. Texas 11-2; 17. Providence 13-1; 18. Tennessee 9-3; 19. Colorado State 10-0; 20. Alabama 10-3; 21. LSU 12-1; 22. Seton Hall 9-3; 23. Wisconsin 10-2; 24. Xavier 11-2; 25. Texas Tech 10-2
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Lincoln Riley, who coached two Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks (Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray) at Oklahoma and had a third on the podium (Jalen Hurts) in New York, flirted with LSU, which was offering more than $12 million a year, used his agent to let Scott Stricklin know he would entertain an offer from Florida to replace Dan Mullen, and then took a mega deal to go to Southern Cal, sold himself to the highest bidder. Who can blame him? Southern Cal offers unlimited use of a private jet, the beach at Malibu and Beverly Hills mansions and no tornadoes, not to mention the fact Riley will have an easier time making the College Football Playoff in the weak Pac-12 than he ever would in the SEC where Oklahoma is heading?
This is the reality in which we live today. Coaches take the money and run, leaving behind players and a ton of empty promises. I don’t blame a coach for taking a better deal, particularly since he’ll get fired if he doesn’t win big enough to satisfy the deep pocket alums who think they run the athletic program (see Gus Malzahn who will have to squeeze by on the $21.8 million Auburn paid to send him on his merry way).
Since a coach can pack up and leave on a moment’s notice, tweeting farewells to the kids left behind (see Brian Kelly), then kids have the right to transfer out. A lot of folks think the transfer portal will be the death of college football as we know it but football will adjust. We thought the same thing when scholarships were reduced to 105 and then to 85, which is where they are now, and it didn’t kill the sport. NIL is far more dangerous than the portal, but it’s the world we live in and college football will find a way to adjust.
So, what’s good for the coach should be – and is – good for the players although they don’t get $12 million buyouts when they leave the building.
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