TCU coach Gary Patterson rips NCAA’s proposed one-time transfer proposal
TCU football coach Gary Patterson isn’t happy about the NCAA’s latest proposal to allow one-time transfers.
The new policy would allow players a chance to transfer once in their college career and compete immediately at their new school. The policy, which was proposed last month, could be in place as early as the 2020-21 school year.
“I’m disappointed in it, to be honest with you,” Patterson said following his team’s third spring practice on Monday. “I think they’re going to find out they wouldn’t want it to be their kids that you didn’t want a coach to grow them up. Every time it didn’t go well for them, they could just leave.
“All these senators and legislators, they all think this is the greatest thing that ever happened to the kids? They’ll all see and they’ll find out. It’s like basketball. I’m sad for basketball because you guys all hear about a couple guys, you don’t hear about all the ones that don’t get as good of a scholarship or don’t get anything at all and they get left out and they don’t get an education.”
Patterson mentioned one of his former players entered the transfer portal as a way to essentially retire from football. Instead of landing a scholarship at another school, the player is now selling mixtapes out of his car.
“[The portal] was their excuse to leave,” Patterson said. “Nobody paid any attention and now they’re nowhere. Everybody that decided that this was a good thing, I’m happy for. But they need to understand it was somebody’s son. That’s what they need to understand someday — it was somebody’s son. They’ll find out.
“All the guys who become great, just like you guys, how did you become better? Through the process of learning how to write an article, how to do things, you went through all the goods and bads. There’s parts of being able to move that is good for guys, but there’s a lot more worse things because guys are going to transfer because it’s the easiest thing. That’s not what makes you good.”
The NCAA’s long-standing policy has been forcing players to sit out a full season with a “year-in-residence,” with the exception being graduate transfers.
The proposed step is in reaction to the high number of immediate eligibility requests the NCAA has received in recent years, most of which have been granted.
Among the primary concerns with the new policy by coaches and administrators would be “walkathons” where a football program has 20 players transfer from the school.
The school would have a difficult time replacing and rebuilding the roster in a short period.
The NCAA would have guidelines on which players would be able to obtain immediate eligibility. Four benchmarks include: (1) receive a release from their previous school; (2) leave their previous school academically eligible; (3) maintain their academic progress at their new school; and (4) leave under no disciplinary suspension.
The one-time transfer proposal comes at a time when the NCAA is already on its way to allowing athlete compensation by allowing players to profit from their name, image and likeness.
That’s another related issue that isn’t sitting well with Patterson.
“Y’all hear about the 5%,” Patterson said. “Nobody does any stats on the other 95%. We’re cheating kids out of an education. This is all for the betterment of what? Cause they think they’re getting cheated out of money? Our kids have it better right now than they’ve ever had it in their entire lives in college football since I’ve been in the game.
“I’m a team player. I’m going to do whatever you guys say we’re going to do, but I’m just going to tell you — here in about 20 years we’re all going to look back at this and say …”
Patterson simply shook his head and went on to say that the NCAA’s policy makers and the politicians involved aren’t listening to input from the coaching world.
“They haven’t listened to the AFCA, they haven’t listened to the coaches, they haven’t listened to anybody,” said Patterson, who is serving as the AFCA’s president this year.
Patterson’s complaints are shared by several within the college sports world. TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati told the Star-Telegram last month that there could be “unintended consequences” with the one-time transfer proposal and paying players for name, image and likeness.
“Most of the coaches and administrators I know share concerns that this proposal combined with the name, image and likeness legislation may have ramifications we simply cannot anticipate at this point,” Donati said.
This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 8:49 PM.
