Every single year you recruit a new crop of high school kids as per usual. Then you also recruit a host of other kids in the transfer portal to hopefully fill gaps in your team. And you also need to constantly be recruiting your current players. Every offseason is going to be a revolving door of kids testing the waters--even if they eventually come back. I can't imagine how challenging this is for a coaching staff. As a fan it's exhausting.

Had a great team last year? Zero bearing on your team next year. You better recruit (and pay) them well or they won't be back. And if you want to add any pieces you better recruit (and pay) hard. USU kid got $2M?!?!

Something has to change. And fast. Make the kids sign contracts that can go multiple years to get any NIL money. Allow schools to wrap up a kid for at least a couple of years to salvage some kind of continuity and at least imitate the devotion to a school that has been the hallmark of college athletics for so many years.

I'm trying really hard to lean into the brave new world that is college sports with NIL, musical chair transfer rules, etc. No matter where it ends, it will never be the same. And I don't think it's a good thing. I hope I'm wrong.