The Transfer Portal Killed Discipline In College Football

Some will argue that NIL is the culprit, and to a certain extent, they're right. Student-athletes deserve to be compensated for their name, image, and likeness. That's never really been the problem for me. The problem is that NIL has been perverted into a pay-for-play system, and when you combine that with the transfer portal, you've fundamentally changed the way college football is coached, the way rosters are assembled, and the way players approach the game.

Accountability has taken a back seat, loyalty to your teammates has become negotiable, and discipline is increasingly difficult to enforce.

When I was scrolling through X earlier, a post from John Ziegler, host of The Death of Journalism podcast, caught my attention. Ziegler was commenting on a conversation between Joey Galloway and Kirk Herbstreit about how discipline and accountability are becoming increasingly difficult to enforce in college football.

And it's hard to argue with the point he's making.

Those qualities are being pushed aside by a player's bank account and the freedom to find another school if a head coach hurts his feelings during the developmental process. Why put up with the uncomfortable conversations, the hard coaching, or the criticism when there's always another program willing to take you in?

I agree with Galloway when he says, "In this era of these kids, where I can leave and go somewhere else, you think I'm going to stand here and let someone berate me at practice every day, and listen to this? I don't have to! I'm leaving!"

Meanwhile, Herbstreit's response essentially boils down to a simple question: Do you want to get better? He invoked the philosophy of former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who understood that right is right and wrong is wrong.

I understand what Herbstreit was trying to explain. If you want to improve, you have to be coachable. You have to listen to the message, even when you don't like the delivery. Sometimes, getting better means hearing things you don't want to hear from someone who isn't particularly concerned about hurting your feelings.

Coaches like Saban weren't in the business of making every player feel good about himself. They were in the business of making players better and winning championships. There is a difference, and his resume' backs him up!

And before someone accuses me of advocating for coaches to abuse their players, that's not what I'm saying. There's a difference between demanding accountability and treating someone poorly. However, there's also a difference between a coach challenging a player to reach his potential and a player deciding that any criticism is grounds for finding a new employer.

In today's college football landscape, the portal password might as well be 1-2-3, "Olly olly oxen free!" Don't like the coach? Leave. Don't like your role? Leave. Don't want to compete for playing time? Find a school where the path might be easier.

And if there's a better financial offer waiting somewhere else, well, there's another reason to pack your bags.

The player doesn't just leave the program. He takes his earning potential with him, too.

However. the consequences may extend beyond the college game.

Another troubling question is whether the current system is encouraging players to prioritize immediate financial rewards over long-term development. NFL teams need players who are ready for the next level, particularly at quarterback, where experience, preparation, and the ability to process information under pressure matter enormously. If players aren't getting the development they need in college, the professional game will eventually feel the effects.

The 2027 NFL Draft class had been viewed as potentially deep at quarterback, but questions have emerged about how that group will ultimately shape up. The transfer portal and NIL aren't solely responsible for those uncertainties, of course. Still, it's fair to ask whether the incentives in today's college game are always aligned with what a player needs to become a better football player.

The transfer portal has been around for eight years, and the rules allowing player movement have evolved considerably. NIL arrived five years ago. Put the two together, and you've created a system that can make roster stability, long-term development, and accountability harder to maintain.

And the people feeling the effects aren't just coaches. Fans are watching players come and go with little connection to the schools they represent, while coaches spend more time rebuilding rosters and managing personnel than developing the players already in the building.

College football has always been about more than the scoreboard. At least, it used to be.

Coaches were supposed to develop young men, teach discipline, and prepare them for life beyond the game. Winning was the objective, but the process was supposed to mean something, too.

Now, I'm left wondering what that process is supposed to look like.

What exactly are the values we're trying to teach? That commitment matters, unless a better offer comes along? That accountability is important, unless it makes you uncomfortable? That hard work pays off, provided you don't have to compete too long for the opportunity?

Somewhere along the way, we've confused giving players freedom with removing consequences. And if college football can't figure out how to balance the two, we may end up with a sport that pays its players more, moves them around more frequently, and does a worse job preparing them for the next level.

Just what, exactly, are we calling progress?