Tillery’s Trends, NCAA Issues, Portal Drama, and More!
Everyone loves a good trend, and while I may not speak for everyone in the wide world of college sports, I do have the opportunity on Heartland College Sports to discuss some interesting trends revolving around the Big 12 Conference and what’s coming up in the near future.
Tillery’s Trends is a weekly story that revolves around trending topics, players, coaches, teams, betting lines, and anything else that stands out about the world of college sports.
On the menu for today, we take a look at issues with the NCAA’s transfer rulings, how NIL affects the transfer portal, and an updated look at each Big 12 team’s portal departures. Enjoy!
WHY NCAA? PART THREE
The NCAA continues to baffle me with its stance on two-time transfers in college basketball. Prior to the trial where West Virginia guard RaeQuan Battle took the stand and testified against the NCAA in favor of two-time transfers being eligible to play, the weeks leading up to the case were immensely confusing.
Despite many fans, including the Governor of West Virginia, coming to the aid of Battle in receiving a waiver to play in 2023-24, the Washington native was rejected time and time again by the organization. While Battle is set to suit up on Saturday for the Mountaineers for his first game of the season because of the 14-day window the NCAA allowed while they attempt to figure out what to do with two-time transfers, some of the names that were granted eligibility are a little baffling.
Multiple players in similar situations to Battle were granted waivers including Aziz Bandaogo, Moussa Cisse, and more, while players like Rae’Quan Battle and Jamille Reynolds continue to wait for a verdict from the NCAA.
Does the NCAA have any idea what their own parameters are? Likely not, in my opinion.
PORTAL + NIL = WOW
This trending topic may be a bit speculative and that’s okay. I want to discuss the likelihood of programs losing some of their top players based on better opportunities beyond the football field elsewhere.
After watching players like Oklahoma’s Cayden Green, Kansas State’s Kobe Savage, and more hit the transfer portal this week seemingly out of left field, the likelihood of watching fan-favorite players depart programs for new opportunities elsewhere is becoming increasingly more common.
This is not to say that chasing the best opportunity for yourself is immoral or incorrect, but I do think that the current reality college football fans are living in will include the unfortunate situation of seeing key pieces depart from your favorite team which may come as a complete shock.
While the NCAA may be a super inconsistent organization when it comes to monitoring best practices in recruiting, I believe more than likely a governing body will step in before 2025 and establish specific parameters for those interested in exploring options elsewhere. NIL has changed the world of college football for good.
TRANSFER TRACKER
Well, this may be painful for some fans but it’s time to update the list of most outgoing transfers in the future Big 12 Conference. This list was created using data from the 247Sports updated portal tracker.
- Cincinnati Bearcats – 22
- Kansas State Wildcats – 15
- Utah Utes – 14
- Arizona State Sun Devils – 14
- Iowa State Cyclones – 13
- West Virginia Mountaineers – 13
- Texas Tech Red Raiders – 13
- Houston Cougars – 11
- UCF Knights – 11
- TCU Horned Frogs – 9
- Colorado Buffaloes – 8
- Oklahoma State Cowboys – 8
- Arizona Wildcats – 7
- BYU Cougars – 6
- Baylor Bears – 4
- Kansas Jayhawks – 4
While retaining players may not be the best way to judge the future of the Big 12 Conference, Baylor and Kansas are winning at least in terms of players sticking around instead of hitting the portal.
