The future of college football may not be what you think it is
While NIL opportunities and the transfer portal rock Sooners and Cowboys — and so many others, too — what ultimately lies ahead remains a fantastic question
At some point, it’s going to stabilize.
Maybe in five years. Maybe 10. Certainly 20.
It must.
Even with no help from the NCAA.
Even as coaches, ex-coaches and old fuddy-duddies decry the name, image and likeness (NIL) earnings college athletes, football players especially, may now enjoy as they pursue their sport — quote, end-quote — non-professionally.*
Even as coaches, ex-coaches and old fuddy-duddies decry the transfer portal, which has made moving from one program to another so easy, allowing instant eligibility at the new place.*
* After two paragraphs like that I’m obliged to report open transfers have long been the rule for college baseball and softball and about every NCAA sport other than football and basketball. And that coaches have been breaking their contracts forever, departing before the bowl game forever, saying one thing and doing another in the span of hours forever and nobody, especially them, seemed to see their freedom of movement as a sport killer.
Stunner.
At Oklahoma, 247Sports reported only this afternoon tight end Jackson Sumlin entered the portal. He caught four passes in 2021, none this season, so no big loss, sure, but the real news isn’t that he’s leaving but that he’s the 17th Sooner to enter the portal, which is a big freaking deal.
The others:
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