TAKE ONE: Adapting
One of the more noticeable effects of the increasing influence of NIL and the transfer portal is the number of college coaches looking for a different stability in the NFL. College coaches spend a lot of time developing relationships on the recruiting trail working hard to find the right players and get them to pick their respective schools.
Prior to NIL and the limitless transfer portal, these efforts were rewarded with at least a three-year commitment. Those days are long gone and the constant travel along with the need to recruit your own players to stay, find replacements for those who leave, to balance the NIL budgets, continue to try and win games on the field, and still try to find time to spend some time with family is proving to be difficult for many. For those at schools with less money, the situation seems even more dire.
Adapt or die is the mantra professed by many and that is the reality we face. While I still think that the college game is a much more immersive experience and a product that is driven by passion and do not want to see many traditions die off, I also see that there might be some options that will save the ‘experiences’ while also changing a little bit of how this game operates – and maybe keep some of these good coaches around the college game to help develop young men into future leaders.
When I see coaches like Junior Adams move to the NFL I feel conflicted happiness. I am happy for anyone that advances their career, but it is a little disconcerting that some of the best mentors are leaving the college game. In Adams’ case there were compelling personal reasons for this move which I wholeheartedly support.
While I think that there are a lot of good solutions out there, I am not sure how viable they are when courts have repeatedly ruled that the NCAA limits placed on student-athletes are forms of anti-trust violation. A single transfer portal window? Given the NCAA has already admitted a student-athlete can withdraw from one school and enroll at another without needing permission, that seems untenable.
The idea of unions comes up frequently as a way to get the NCAA to have some level of control over college athletics that would be protected from anti-trust rulings, but it seems far more complex than thought and there are still major challenges to make it work.
Unlike pro sports leagues (NFL, NBA), the NCAA has over 1,100 schools across multiple divisions. Different states, conferences, and institutions may approach the issue differently.
Could unions form by conference (e.g., a “Big Ten Athletes Union”)? Would there be a single national union? The NLRA only covers private sector workers, meaning private school athletes (USC, Stanford, etc.) could form unions, but public school athletes (Ohio State, Alabama) would need state-level approval. This could lead to an uneven playing field.
The ‘most likely’ scenario isn’t a full-fledged NCAA-wide union but collective bargaining for certain athletes (e.g., football and men’s basketball players in Power 5 conferences). (I use the term ‘most likely’ loosely as it would still have some of its own major hurdles). What I do know is that college football is losing some really good coaches.
And yet – we watch as the best coaches adapt or die.
TAKE TWO: QB Dominoes
It’s easy for outsiders to look at Jonas Williams’ flip and form their own opinions about Oregon’s performance on the recruiting trail. However, if we focus only on what happened and ignore the why, we risk missing the bigger picture.
Recruiting quarterbacks at an elite level is always challenging, and the days of a school landing multiple top-10 QBs in the same class are likely coming to an end. At the very least, it’s extremely difficult. When a team starts heavily recruiting a second elite quarterback, the committed QB inevitably reassesses his options. He needs to secure a landing spot that fits his goals rather than finding himself in a recruiting version of the scramble drill.
Yes, USC did a great job recruiting Jonas Williams, but it would be inaccurate to suggest that Oregon was simply sitting on its hands. Was the timing ideal? No. But the reality is that the Ducks invested heavily in recruiting Jared Curtis early on, and when he decommitted in October, their efforts intensified. The fact that Oregon held on to Williams’ commitment for four months is a testament to how strong the process had been up to that point—but it was only a matter of time.
Oregon remains in the final two for Curtis and is also a top contender for Ryder Lyons. I believe the Ducks will be just fine at quarterback in the 2026 class. As I mentioned last week, pursuing another QB while already having one committed is always a gamble, but recruiting comes with inherent risks. Oregon’s staff has proven adept at handling these challenges, and there’s no reason to think they won’t navigate this one successfully.
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