The CFB Transfer Portal: Why Waste Resources on Redshirts?

The transfer portal defines the new landscape of college football and the college football world is still getting used to it.

As more players decide to finish their college football careers away from where they started, such as the odds-on Heisman favorite Travis Hunter, questions about traditional player development continue to arise.

Does it make sense to redshirt players in the transfer portal era?

The finalists for the Heisman Trophy were announced and three of the four finalists transferred at least once in their college career. Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty is the exception having stayed with the Broncos since enrolling in 2022.

Oregon Ducks QB Dillon Gabriel, whose success might be the best indicator of a successful overall team strategy regarding the transfer portal, is on his third team in Oregon. Gabriel redshirted his junior year with the UCF Knights and the extra COVID year allowed him to play six seasons of college football.

UCF didn’t have much of a choice when it came to redshirting Gabriel as he broke his left clavicle just three games into the season. After the injury, UCF essentially ended up wasting an entire season of development and resources on a quarterback who left their team to join the Oklahoma Sooners in 2022.

In an article from The Athletic, Dillon’s father Garrett Gabriel explained the cause of transfers even when players are in love with where they are.

“For him, the biggest lesson was, in the end, as much as you want to do good for people, there’s also a business side,” said Dillon’s father, Garrett Gabriel. “You want to fall in love with a place and stay there the rest of your career, but nowadays, it usually doesn’t work out that way.”

While UCF did right by Gabriel during his unfortunate situation, other players around the country are getting similar treatment without contributing nearly as much on the actual field.

Fear of redshirting big-name prospects due to fear of the transfer portal is already prominent

Medical redshirts are home to a different dynamic than traditional redshirts, which help coaches line up development cycles with positional needs. High-profile recruits now have leverage when it comes to their path as a college football player. Redshirting high-level four and five-star recruits during their freshman year doesn’t only massively increase the risk of a transfer, but it saves years of eligibility for other teams to utilize.

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola is a prime example of redshirt avoidance that could have negatively impacted the team’s ability to win games. Raiola, who went to three different high schools and flipped his commitment twice, was a highly-touted five-star prospect.

Raiola was committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Georgia Bulldogs before finally landing on the Huskers. Despite constant reassurance and active recruiting from the Raiola camp, fans are still weary of a potential Raiola transfer. If fans are constantly concerned about a potential transfer, coaches have that thought in the back of their heads as well.

The Huskers were one of the top potential landing spots for Ohio State transfer quarterback Kyle McCord, who ended up with the Syracuse Orange. If the Huskers took a chance on a one-year rental of McCord, would they have been able to win more games this season?

McCord finished with 4,326 yards passing, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on a 65.8% completion rate. Raiola finished with 2,595 yards passing, 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on a 66.6% completion rate.

While McCord may have gotten the Huskers one or two more wins, coaches didn’t think that was worth the potential risk of a Raiola transfer. The irony is that a one-year rental wouldn’t be possible without the modern transfer portal, thus bringing closure to the marred landscape of modern college football.

A Raiola redshirt could have resulted in more wins in 2024 as well as a more developed/confident Raiola in 2025. It also could’ve resulted in an endless loop of one-year rentals. Three of the four Big Ten quarterbacks in the College Football Playoff transferred at some point, which may result in an abandonment of quarterback development as a whole.

More NFL and College Football Articles from Andrew Kusleika on Gridiron Heroics:

• The Cincinnati Bengals are Once Again the NFL’s Laughing Stock and This Proves it
• Fans Saddened by Sudden Death of Nebraska Cornhuskers Legend
• Shedeur Sanders Wants Colorado Buffaloes to Give Him $10 Million
• Fans Rejoice as ESPN’s Exclusively-Streamed MNF Game is a Monumental Failure
• Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce Robberies Provoke NFL to Warn Players About Immigrant Crime Syndicate

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