The NCAA transfer portal is more important than ever in college football, which doesn’t mean a whole lot considering it hasn’t been around very long. Still, you know how prevalent it is since coaches are complaining about it louder than before, and there is a strong correlation between the volume of complaints and how often the portal is being utilized by said complainers.
The more they use something, the more they hate it. So they’ll be complaining about other schools tampering with their players while one of their assistants is, at that very moment, likely sliding into the DMs of a player on another team.
They do it out of necessity. In this day and age of ridiculous salaries, expectations are even more unrealistic and patience is at an all-time low. The transfer portal may not contain players with higher ceilings than the 17-year-old high schooler you’ve been texting relentlessly, but the floor is high and you know the player can step in and fill the hole on your roster much quicker.
We will hear more complaints about the portal as the years go on, yet every year we’ll see more coaches diving into the portal for key pieces that can yield immediate dividends. The Big Ten is no different, and these transfers should have the most significant impacts in 2023 for their new teams.
There isn’t a team in the Big Ten serving as a better example of how the transfer portal is changing the sport than Iowa. Last year, the Hawkeyes had one incoming transfer — a blocking tight end. This year, the Hawkeyes are overhauling their entire offense through the portal. While players like tight end Erick All and receiver Kaleb Brown will shine, it’s All’s former teammate at Michigan that will have the biggest impact.
Cade McNamara helped lead Michigan to…
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