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College football is currently dealing with plenty of issues stemming from changes that seemed like a good idea in theory but left a lot to be desired in practice—including the transfer portal. That particular system has been subjected to plenty of criticism, and Lane Kiffin is the latest notable name to get in on the action.
It’s easy to understand why the NCAA introduced the transfer portal in 2018, as it theoretically made it easier for student-athletes to take their talents to other schools while streamlining the process for players and programs who might be interested in acquiring their talents.
At the time, athletes had a fair amount of incentive to stick with the school they committed to thanks to a rule that required them to sit out for a full season before they were able to suit up for their new team. However, 2021 marked the beginning of a new era when the one-time transfer exception was instituted—a change that’s caused a fair amount of chaos.
Earlier this month, more than 1,000 college football players entered the transfer portal when the floodgates officially opened following the end of the regular season, which has created plenty of headaches for teams that earned the right to compete in a bowl game.
That includes Ole Miss, as On3 reports Lane Kiffin was not shy about celebrating Festivus a few days late by airing some grievances about the format of the current system as he gears up for the Peach Bowl on Saturday.
Here’s what he had to say:
“It’s a terrible system. No other…professional sports have ever set up a system where free agency starts while the season is still going. So it really makes no sense. You can leave, you can stay, you can go other places, coaches can call you and our season is still going.
It would be like before the NFC or AFC playoffs start in a couple weeks, all of a sudden, hey, free agency the week before opens. So you can start recruiting other people’s players and fly them on trips and get them to transfer.
So really, in a really bad system.”
At first glance, it seems like the most obvious solution here is to wait until every bowl game is played before opening up the transfer portal. However, that could present an issue for players who are hoping to enroll at a new school for the second semester to officially kick off the next chapter of their career.
I can understand why Kiffin is annoyed, but at the same time, he’s getting paid millions of dollars a year to compete against other coaches who are all in the same boat, so it’s hard to feel too bad for him.