Don’t let the college football transfer portal turn you into a pathetic human being

My friend Ian has a few rules when it comes to college football recruiting.

You are allowed to reference a recruit by three different traits:

- The position he plays

- The high school he attends

- The number of stars he has been accorded by one of the various media entities that evaluate prospects

You should not refer to him by name, however. And under no circumstances should you have any online interaction with a recruit unless it’s to wish him health and prosperity regardless of what school he may choose to attend now or in the future.

I’ve found these guidelines have helped me maintain a normal and healthy perspective on a sport that can quickly devolve into lunacy. I don’t want to get too personal about recruiting.

It’s not that I doubt the importance of recruiting to the success of a program. It’s not that I’m uninterested in the future of Washington, which is the school I attended and cheer with a vigor that can easily veer off into stupidity.

However, I do not want to hold let alone express any bit of negative emotion toward a young man because he has decided to attend and play for a school other than the one I attended. In fact, there are few things in this world I find more pathetic than adults who act salty about the college choices of teenagers.

Ian’s rules provide guardrails in a sense. A bit of distance. I am discovering, however, that these rules are increasingly inadequate for the contemporary reality of college football. I’m talking, of course, about the transfer portal, which is not some doorway between dimensions but rather a database where – beginning on Monday, Dec. 9 – college football players can submit their name if they’re interested in talking to schools other than the one they currently attend.

The transfer portal has been around since 2018, but it became markedly busier in 2021 when the NCAA changed its rule, allowing any player to transfer once between schools without any impact to their eligibility. Earlier this year, the NCAA further relaxed the rules.

Ideologically, I believe this is a good thing. A player certainly shouldn’t be more tied to a school than the coach who recruited him, and if the schools continue to insist that athletes aren’t in fact employees, they certainly shouldn’t have their movement restricted as if they are.

Logistically, transfers have become a huge aspect of building a successful program. Most high-school recruits need years, plural, before they’re ready to play college football. Transfers can make an impact right away. Transfers are what allowed Washington to play for a national title last year.

In practice, however, I’m finding myself feeling a little bit conflicted. On the one hand, I do feel a tinge of both interest and excitement when I see an offensive lineman like sophomore Luke Bakalenko of Stanford announce his intention to enter the transfer portal. On the other hand, I don’t want to be feel disappointed or let down if one of the Huskies I’ve enjoyed cheering for decides he’d rather go somewhere else.

I had my first taste of this earlier this year. There was a certain cornerback who came from a Big 12 school, had a really good year and a cool celebration and after Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama, this cornerback transferred to Oregon and I will now force a smile and say I wish Jabbar Muhammad nothing but the best. The reason I say that is because I truly do not believe we should be anything other than encouraging toward any athlete when it comes to their college choice.

I’ve found that this belief, however, is kind of like Communism. It works much better in theory than it does in practice, which leaves me in something of a bind when it comes to my college football fandom.

Transfers are becoming more important in the sport, and I do not want my own selfish hopes for my school to make me act bitter and petty toward young men who are simply trying to make the best they can out of their own situation.

So I’m going to take my friend Ian’s rules and make a few modifications.

1. You are allowed to refer to a transfer by name only if you knew it prior to him entering the portal.

In this case, I can mention Bakalenko because I recall him starting as a true freshman against the Huskies in 2023. I can’t use the names of the offensive tackles from Tulsa and Florida International, however, because I only became aware of their existence this week.

2. You are allowed to mention the number of years as a starter and any awards he won at his previous school.

Try to refrain from comparing this player to a previous transfer, however. Will Rogers did not benefit from anyone connecting him to Michael Penix.

3. If a player from your school enters the portal, the only appropriate response is to thank him for his time on the team and wish him the best of luck going forward.

You are not to minimize his contributions or to point out any gap that may exist between the expectations that greeted his arrival on campus and his performance there. There should be no mention for any appetite for monetary compensation, either. Badmouthing someone as he leaves your school is just as bad as being snarky to a high-school player who didn’t choose it.

Danny O’Neil was born in Oregon, the son of a logger, but had the good sense to attend college in Washington. He’s covered Seattle sports for 20 years, writing for two newspapers, one glossy magazine and hosting a daily radio show for eight years on KIRO 710 AM. You can subscribe to his free newsletter and find his other work at dannyoneil.com.

This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 6:00 AM.