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Some thoughts on a connection between the 4 Game Redshirt rule and Transfer Portal rule changes


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I believe that RULE changes can be a wildcard the first year or two that they are in effect. Sometimes there are unintended (or unanticipated) consequences from a rule change and sometimes there is a (at least TEMPORARY) advantage for the teams that figure out how to exploit a rule change before others do.

 

Last year, the new Transfer Portal rule change bit Nebraska in the butt when our anticipated backup QB bolted to Oregon St. We will never know how he (or the team) would have done when Martinez went down to the dirty play at Colorado (had he stayed), but we do know how things went with our #3 QB starting in his place. I think that programs now have to give at least SOME consideration to whether they are at risk of losing a player (and the associated DEPTH at that position) if the player believes they aren't getting a fair shake at their current program.

With all of the analytics in the game, it would be interesting to see some analytics on which POSITIONS are more (or less) likely to transfer and whether the player makes an essentially "lateral" move (similar program), moved down (for example to a lesser conference or FCS school) or went up. It seems to me that this whole situation is RIPE for an "underground" recruiting system where a player keeps himself informed on other schools that may have an opening due to an injury or simply a team missing out on quality recruiting at his position - where a move might result in the player having a better chance of seeing the field or getting more television exposure (as just two examples).

RELATED TO THAT (I believe) is the new 4 game redshirt rule. Instead of blowing a redshirt year with a single game appearance, programs can now strategically use (or PLAN to use) a player in certain games (or use them in the event of injury to a player ahead of them) for up to 4 games. This is another thing that I believe programs will have to MANAGE, in part to keep players motivated and interested (and keep their eyes off of the Transfer Portal, in some cases). If a player knows that the staff INTENDS to get them involved in particular games (barring the necessity of using them as "next man up" only) then they may be more motivated and involved as the year goes on.

 

Finally, I think that the Grad Transfer Portal is an area where astute programs are actively looking to add quality depth or competition for starters. It was interesting to me to see that Minnesota, for example, brought in a Grad Transfer KICKER this year from UCONN. He hasn't seen the field yet for the Golden Gophers, but the point is they have a kicker with a 50 yarder on his resume (last year) as a backup - something Frost said that most programs don't have. Maybe they don't have one because they haven't thought of mining the Grad Transfer Portal or regular Transfer Portal for depth. To me, there is no excuse for not having a strong backup kicker in your program - one way or another.

 

Interesting reading on the Grad Transfers this past year: https://gradtransfertracker.com/new-page-1

Every rule change brings the potential to hurt or help your team,  based upon how smart the program is in recognizing how to use it.

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