Transfer portal notebook: Coaches need to name names or forever hold their peace

Wednesday was the start of the early signing period, which meant that it was an absolute given that at some point this week, a coach or two would complain – at least indirectly – about the transfer portal and NIL.

Sure enough, it happened, thanks to North Carolina’s Mack Brown and Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi.

In a news conference Monday to discuss the Tar Heels’ appearance in the Holiday Bowl, Brown said quarterback Drake Maye turned down “a whole lot of money” to stay at UNC rather than enter the transfer portal. When asked, Brown wouldn’t name the team(s) involved.

During an appearance Tuesday on Pittsburgh’s KDKA-FM (93.7 The Fan), Narduzzi went one step further: He said he heard two schools offered Maye $5 million to transfer. He said things had gotten out of control and “it’s a sad, sad deal.” Narduzzi also wouldn’t name the teams offering the big bucks.

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky weighed in on Twitter on Narduzzi’s claim, saying “it’s not good what’s going on in so many ways.” He said he had heard the same thing as Narduzzi and knew which schools offered the money. Alas, he didn’t name them, either.

It does seem obvious that Maye thought about transferring; after all, he tweeted out earlier this month that he “could never leave this place, I’m a Tar Heel.” (An aside: On his Twitter bio, as it does for numerous college athletes these days, it says, “Business Inquiries: [email protected].”)

(Another aside: Offering a player $5 million seems … outlandish. One player, $5 million? Not buying that. But, hey, if Maye was offered $5 million for one year – barring injury, he is going into the 2024 NFL Draft – and turned it down? That seems … short-sighted. Classmates at UNC would have to have an average salary of $100,000 a year for 50 years to gross $5 million.)

Truthfully, Maye likely did look into a transfer. If you’re a player of his stature, there is zero harm in looking into possibly getting a million or so bucks while you’re in college. While the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, sometimes it most certainly is. And that’s the original intent of NIL: helping players benefit from their name, image and likeness while they star on the field/court/diamond/ice/whatever.

Still, there are NCAA rules, amended in May, that bar schools and boosters from inducing prospects via an NIL deal. But is the NCAA, whose investigative arm is famously ineffective, truly willing and able to look into whether schools/boosters run afoul of that rule?

You know who can make all the illegal stuff go away? Coaches themselves. In fact, NCAA bylaw 19.2.3, entitled “Responsibility to Cooperate,” says, in part, that coaches are to report “instances of noncompliance to the Association in a timely manner” and assist in “developing full information to determine whether a possible violation has occurred.”

Coaches do wield an enormous amount of power, and with great power comes great responsibility. But coaches always have seemed unwilling to use their power – all the while watching as their salaries climb. (Another aside: Both Brown and Narduzzi make upward of $5 million a year.)

If coaches – in any sport – truly are bothered by illegal stuff going on regarding the transfer portal, quit dancing around. Instead, put your collective foot down (collective, not individual), speak up and name names. Public shaming can work, especially in a small group like Power 5 coaches. And once the public shaming begins, the NCAA can step in, too. Brown and Narduzzi (and Orlovsky, for that matter) don’t deserve plaudits for saying shenanigans are going on; they deserve criticism for not being specific.

On3’s Ivan Maisel wrote in May that, “If NCAA rulemaking were like college football, the American Football Coaches Association would be a Group of 5 conference.” Well, the AFCA could become like the Big Ten and SEC – if it wants to.

Grid bits

+ QB JT Daniels committed to Rice out of the portal earlier this week. Sadly, the idea that one guy could throw passes for four Power 5 teams won’t come to fruition. Still, throwing passes for four FBS teams is cool, too. Daniels began his college journey at USC, moved on to Georgia, then spent this past season at West Virginia. He started at least four games at each stop.

+ How much of a statistical impact did transfers make in the 2022 regular season? Four of the top five, six of the top 10 and 15 of the top 32 quarterbacks in passing yards were transfers. Two of the top four and eight of the top 28 rushers were transfers. Two of the top five and nine of the top 26 in receiving yards were transfers. Three of the top 14 in tackles were transfers. Two of the top four, three of the top eight and seven of the top 22 in sacks were transfers. Three of the top eight in interceptions were transfers. Two of the top five, four of the top 13 and six of the top 20 in tackles for loss were transfers. Five of the top 14 in pass breakups were transfers.

+ New Charlotte coach Biff Poggi was the coach at powerhouse Baltimore Saint Frances Academy from 2017-20, and he is using his ties to the school to great advantage in the transfer portal. Eight four-year transfers who went to Saint Frances have committed to Charlotte out of the portal: DB Al-Ma’hi Ali from St. Francis (Pa.), EDGE T.J. Butler from Maryland, EDGE Demon Clowney from Ole Miss, DT Katron Evans from Jackson State, RB Terron Kellman from Northern Illinois, DB Breon Noel from St. Francis (Pa.), DT Zion Shockley from Maryland and C Tyler Thomas from Grambling.