The transfer portal is as chaotic as its ever been with players bouncing from team to team on a fairly regular basis. We have a system that is essentially free agency every offseason in college football. More coaches are continuing to speak out against it, and most recently, Army head coach Jeff Monken did not hold back after losing star running back Kanye Udoh to the transfer portal.
“I think it’s an important lesson for young people to learn that when they make a pledge of commitment (that) they keep it and fulfill the obligation of (their) contract,’’ Monken said to the Times Record-Herald. “I don’t know that that anyone in any profession … should be able to accept money and say I’m going to pledge a commitment to this organization and then be able to walk with that money and not fulfill their obligation.’’
“It’s off the guard rails,’’ Monken added. “I mean it’s, ‘Go wherever you want. Pay is whatever people want to pay you. Transfer here, transfer there.’ It’s not good for college sports, it’s not good for college football. And I don’t think it’s teaching positive lessons for our young people.’’
But Monken wasn’t totally against the system, saying, “I do think that they should be able to go where they want and play where they want, go to school and get a degree where they want and be able to earn money doing that. I hate for us to lose the importance of seeking a college degree. I think it’s really hard to earn a college degree if you’re at four different colleges.’’
Kanye Udoh to Arizona State
On Saturday, the Arizona State Sun Devils picked up their best player yet in the transfer portal, adding Army running back Kanye Udoh.
Udoh will have two years of eligibility remaining. His 2024 season was a monster one for the Knights, finishing with 1,117 rushing yards on 179 carries with 10 touchdowns.
Udoh is now the top transfer portal recruit for Arizona State, per 247Sports. The Sun Devils have been quiet in the portal thus far, but expect that to pick up after the season officially ends.
Udoh will likely be tasked with helping replace star running back Cam Skattebo, who is wrapping up his senior season with the Sun Devils.
Related: Cam Skattebo: ‘I Don’t See a Team That Can Beat Us’
The transfer portal officially opened on Monday, December 9, 2024, and will remain open until Saturday, December 28, with an exception for players on teams who play bowl games after the window closes. According to NCAA data, 2,273 FBS football players entered the transfer portal in 2023-24 school year, with 1,558 (68.5%) undergraduates and 715 (31.5%) graduate transfers. Of the entrants, 57% reported that they enrolled in another school, 8% withdrew their names from the portal, and 35% are still active, transferred to a non-NCAA school, or left their sport.
The Heartland College Sports Twitter account is an excellent resource for keeping up with the latest Big 12 news and announcements. Make sure you check out our HCS member forum to connect with other Big 12 sports fans.
