What's the SEC's message?

Thanks to name, image, and likeness, as well as the transfer portal, college athletes have more power and freedom than ever before.

NIL is a national unregulated process that has everyone in college athletics nervous, and rightfully so. But NIL is another topic for another column.

Let's talk transfer portal.

The concept of the transfer portal is not bad at all. Let’s face it, coaches can move where ever they want so why can’t a player. The idea of signing with a school and not a program led by a specific person went out the window a long time ago. Transfers aren’t necessarily bad for the player or the school. So, freedom of movement isn’t the worst thing. In some ways it helps your locker room because the guys in there want to be there.

The problem with the transfer portal is the window for making a decision is too short. No one wants a guy to quit during the season, but the timing of the portal almost forces someone to if they have any desire to make an informed decision.

If you go into the portal the week after your regular season end then you have at most two weeks to see schools before the dead period starts. Once the dead period starts, you can’t visit anywhere again until a week before the school you are visiting starts their spring semester. If you stay and play in your bowl game then you squeeze down your visit window dramatically if you have hopes of being at a new school in January.

Don’t we want players to make rational decisions and not impulse decisions? Giving players a handful of days to make a decision makes you wonder how informed of a decision players can make.

Then there’s the SEC who decided to make it harder on the student athlete.

If you want to transfer from one SEC school to another in football, you have to be in the portal by February 1st. You don’t have to pick a school by then but you have to declare your intention by then.

Why February 1st? Who in the world does that help? I can tell you — nobody, that’s who.

Let’s look at LSU and Florida for example. Both have new head coaches, new assistants and new systems. Some of the players won’t ultimately fit what the new coaches want. Some of the players won’t want to play for guys they didn’t sign with. Why not give them spring practice to find out?

Now you have to make that choice before you ever work with the coach. How does that help a player make an informed decision? We want guys to not be quitters and give it a chance to know what decision to make. You can do that as long as you don’t want to go to 13 schools in the country.

And it’s not just new coaches, it’s established programs as well. We say guys should stay and compete for a job. It’s a wide open competition in spring. But if you lose that position battle you stay, sit and watch. If you leave after the spring competition, you’re not welcomed in the league where it 'just means more.'

It’s another example of overregulation preventing kids from making the most informed decision. Similar to the early signing day, but I won’t get on that soap box.

So, what is a player supposed to do? Take a chance on staying and it working or staying and being miserable? Jump into the portal never giving their new coach a chance or battling to win a job always wondering what might have been? All because the SEC voted on the February 1 date, which by the way is too late to go anywhere for the spring semester - meaning the date benefits no one.

Maybe this is supposed to be your play. Go to your coach and say “I’m entering the portal to cover my rear. I will give you my best in spring practice. I hope you will give me a legit shot even though I have a one way ticket waiting for me out of town to possibly stay in the league. After spring I’ll let you know”.

How is the athlete going to be treated by the coaches and by his teammates for the semester if he’s in the portal and participating in team activities? It’s an interesting wrinkle in creating your culture. But the student athlete should protect his power and freedom making sure he doesn't put a limit on possible future destinations.

The other option — quit by February 1 and leave everyone wondering what might have been.