Speaking with Front Office Sports this week, UConn Huskies women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma hit on multiple interesting topics, including the rise of sports gambling, Caitlin Clark and how players have changed throughout his 40 years in coaching.

The last point to me was one of the more interesting things Auriemma said, as he discussed, obviously, the money that players are making through NIL and endorsements, but also the width of players circles these days.

He said that in 1985 a players circle was confined to their parents and a high school coach. And now, clearly, players have agents, advisors, AAU coaches and marketing arms in some cases. They enter college with followings on social media and are more well-known in recruiting circles.

One day, books will be written on the NIL-era and the transfer portal-era, but I'm going to attempt to put my own thoughts into words and I certainly do not speak for Auriemma.

1) In 1985, to use his example, college coaches had more control. And I think, at the root of it all, college coaches like control. Not because they're egomaniacs, or bad people, but they like structure.

Professional sports offers less structure. Because of the money, the stardom, travel and the family dynamics for players, things are just different. The players are in charge, and for a coach, the actual pure coaching of the game sometimes takes a backseat to all of the other stuff.

College, as it used to be, represented a chance to do what you love: Coach the game and coach the people, and everybody was focused on the singular goal of getting better and representing the program well. There weren't the distractions of real life.

Now? It's a different era. Because of the transfer portal, there's less school loyalty, and there's a more individualistic mindset. College sports has become professionalized, and that "other stuff" that makes the pros not particularly appealing to people, has seeped into the college game.

College coaches have lost some control, which is a thing that I think they liked previously.

When it comes to dealing with modern players, Auriemma simply has to understand that these players come with bigger entourages, more fanfare, a social media presence and recruiting pedigree behind them. Players today are bringing more other "stuff" into the fold, and if he wants to stay in the game, he has to just be accepting of that.

Of course, he can rely on some of his assistants for the finer points of those relationships so he can focus more on just basketball, but ignoring that other stuff would be a one-way ticket out of the business. He knows that.

Furthermore, he has to understand that other schools have an easier time getting into the mix. While UConn's 12 national title and WNBA pedigree speak for itself, other schools have the ability to recruit players at a much higher level now. If they offer good NIL opportunities and are understanding of the new world as well, then players can be enticed by other programs in a way they weren't previously.

The Huskies, ranked No. 2 nationally, will play No. 5 Michigan on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. ET.