It’s not fair to players that coaches can up and leave and then when players do the same they are considered unloyal, selfish, or soft. They committed to a school, a coach, and a program, and then the coach leaves and takes their system with them. If it were my kid, I’d hope they’d enter the portal too and reconsider their future options.

I think the way we address this is have players sign contracts just like coaches. They are guaranteed NIL money, it escalates each year, with bonuses for performance. If they transfer, the new school better be prepared to pay the buy out clause.

Yes, this is pay for play. But the time has come for us to not kid ourselves. College athletes have become pro athletes. It’s time for the schools to treat them as such, pay them as such, but also hold them to contracts as such.