these three things have had big impact on roster management for coaches. We are almost done with COVID year players (2025 will be the last of them). we have situations where a player who who is a starter or key rotational player can hang for a sixth year and if they have some brand value can get a little NIL $$$. Their NIL $$$ might be better than they could earn in the real world with a job, and since they have no NFL value, they stay. OR they can transfer with instant eligibility (even those who are undergrads = grads could always transfer instantly). I separate the portal from instant transfer as the portal is just software, and what creates the volume is that they have immediate eligibility.
Coaches have to be careful with the number of HS players they recruit as they could quickly have a mess. If you are aggressive in HS recruiting and also the portal, then you need ot have a system that cuts the players on the back end. At the same time you could get caught with suddenly a tsunami of players running our of eligibility and you had to cut your mid-roster guys to hit the 85 limit. You could wind up with a season that your roster is filled with FR/soph players and no room to go to the portal unless you want to start cutting FR and soph players. Can you imagine a coach cutting a player who enrolled early but was a disappointment in spring so had to be released.
easy to see why Saban retired. hard to imagine that we don't wind up with FB separated from the AD and players become employees under contract.
Coaches have to be careful with the number of HS players they recruit as they could quickly have a mess. If you are aggressive in HS recruiting and also the portal, then you need ot have a system that cuts the players on the back end. At the same time you could get caught with suddenly a tsunami of players running our of eligibility and you had to cut your mid-roster guys to hit the 85 limit. You could wind up with a season that your roster is filled with FR/soph players and no room to go to the portal unless you want to start cutting FR and soph players. Can you imagine a coach cutting a player who enrolled early but was a disappointment in spring so had to be released.
easy to see why Saban retired. hard to imagine that we don't wind up with FB separated from the AD and players become employees under contract.