In St. Petersburg, Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis expressed his views on the college football transfer portal on Wednesday morning. He suggested that he and other governors are contemplating a “framework” to control what he perceives as an annual free agency in the sport.
DeSantis believes that the governors are the ones to turn to because, according to him, Congress is unable to tackle any issues.
During a St. Pete press conference, he expressed his thoughts on the transfer portal, stating that it has become akin to an annual free agency. He further elaborated that college football players are utilizing the transfer portal to explore better opportunities for name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals at other universities.
The annual transfer portal has resulted in a significant number of departures. As per the data provided by 247Sports, the current cycle has witnessed almost 4,000 names in the transfer portal, surpassing the previous record of 3,502 set during the 2022-23 cycle.
Governor DeSantis recognized the benefits of athletes being able to earn money based on their own name, image, and likeness. However, he cautioned that a constant turnover of players among colleges can create challenges for previously successful schools that rely on a consistent team.
He expressed his opinion on the need for a framework and mentioned that he had discussed the matter with some other governors, suggesting that they collaborate on the issue. He added that he did not believe Congress would be able to address the matter due to their inability to handle anything effectively. He emphasized the importance of addressing the matter since college sports hold significant value.
In the past, college athletes were considered “amateurs” and were not compensated for their participation in sports. However, in 2021, the National Collegiate Athletic Association made a significant change by allowing players to receive compensation through NIL endorsements, although they still cannot be paid directly.
A recent survey conducted by 247Sports reveals that initial NIL contracts can vary greatly, with some athletes receiving a few thousand dollars per month while others may receive yearly payments approaching one million dollars.
In 2018, the transfer portal was introduced to provide athletes with greater control over their school transfers. However, some view the portal as a source of “chaos”, citing the staggering numbers of scholarship players and FBS, FCS, and Division II players, with Day 1 of the 2023 transfer portal seeing 456 scholarship players and 780 players overall.
Florida State had an unbeaten season in 2023, which was the first time in a decade. Despite this, they were not included in the championship playoffs. The snub caused outrage among the Seminoles, with DeSantis even pledging $1 million from the state budget to sue the College Football Playoff committee.
Furthermore, the ACC has been facing legal action from Florida State, which was later joined by Clemson. The lawsuit was filed against the conference for imposing a hefty fee of $140 million on teams that seek to exit the conference.
