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Grambling State head coach Mickey Joseph calls for transfer player buyouts: 'I should get compensation'

by:Alex Byington•04/03/25•

_AlexByington

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Steven Branscombe / Contributor PhotoG/Getty

Nebraska legend Mickey Joseph has a proposal. Joseph, who is entering his second season as Grambling State‘s head coach, believes smaller school programs like those in the SWAC should receive financial compensation when larger schools poach their players out of the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Joseph, a former LSU and Cornhuskers assistant who went 3-6 as Nebraska’s interim head coach in 2022, understands why some of his Grambling State players might want to transfer to larger schools after a strong season and take advantage of more lucrative NIL opportunities at the FBS level. His only suggestion is the NCAA help alleviate the loss of talent with a financial buyout to himself or other FCS coaches.

“I think the kids understand if they’re here and they’re sophomores and they have a big year and a Group of Five or Power Five (program) approaches them, and they have the finances to pull them out of here, and I can’t match the finances, then you know what, they’re going to go,” Joseph said this week, according to video posted by MyArkLaMiss.com’s Jeremy Bryant. “That’s part of it. Coaches have been doing it for years. So we shouldn’t get mad as coaches when these kids make decisions to take care of their family.

“But I also think there needs to be a buyout. If they move up from me and go to the Group of Five or the Power Five, I should get kind of a compensation for that. So, NCAA, if you’re listening to me, I need a buyout.”

Next week, U.S. District Court judge Claudia Wilken will hear arguments April 7 as part of the landmark House v. NCAA settlement that could forever transform the college sports landscape as she decides on the future of a $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap to share with student-athletes.

Of course, compensating FCS-level coaches and/or programs for losing their players to FBS programs is not part of those discussions. But Joseph clearly believes it should be.

Under the House v. NCAA settlement, FBS schools will be able to directly share $20.5 million with athletes beginning next year. That number will increase by 4% each year afterward as part of a 10-year settlement agreement.

Kirby Smart issues strong warning about House settlement

SEC programs like Georgia have previously announced plans for how they will distribute their $20.5 million in revenue-sharing. The Bulldogs plan to allocate 75% of that figure toward football, 15% going to men’s basketball, 5% to women’s basketball and the remaining 5% spread among all other UGA sports.

But Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is still concerned about competitive balance moving forward and whether schools can “manipulate” the cap in place. He also had concerns about whether schools will need to cut sports – which SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has said is “not what we want” – and whether in the long run, the landscape will end up settling.

“It could be one of the most legendary moments in all of college sports with what’s coming up on this ruling and how people are going to try to manipulate a cap when all we’re trying to do is make for competitive balance,” Smart said. “It’s really unfortunate that I don’t know if competitive balance is going to come out of it. I don’t know if the kids win in this model that we currently have, if they win long-term.

“Like, long-term, when we have to cut sports and cut other things, are the kids going to be the winners of this? I don’t know. College sports [have] been around for a long time and given many an opportunity, and by all means I want these kids to make money. But what’s going on right now is not good for anybody.”

— On3’s Nick Schultz contribured to this report.