Mike Gundy has idea to help fix transfer portal

Sep 16, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy looks on from the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second quarter at Heinz Field. The Cowboys won 59-21. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Many coaches across college football believe the sport now has a huge transfer portal problem, and Mike Gundy has an idea that he thinks could help resolve it.

Gundy spoke with reporters earlier this week about the issues he sees with the transfer portal. He proposed the idea of having high school recruits sign “contractual scholarships” where both the player and school commit to one another for a certain length of time.

“Until we get contractual scholarships in high school recruiting the portal is never going to settle down,” Gundy said, as transcribed by Zach Barnett of FootballScoop.com. “For example, young men should be able to sign a one-, two-, three- or four-year scholarship. That’s their choice. Whatever they sign, that’s what they’re committed to. That’s what we’re going to now. That’s the only way that we are going to have a chance to manage rosters.

If that system were in place, Gundy believes a highly touted recruit might be more likely to sign a one-year deal to have the option of exploring new opportunities.

“So, you want a four-year deal? Sign a four-year deal, but you’re bound to that four-year contract unless your head coach says he’ll sign off and let you go,” the Oklahoma State coach added. “And then that puts more pressure on the head coach, but at least it gives a young man a chance to leave if he comes in and says, ‘Coach, I’m not good enough to play here. I want to go to this school.’ I sign off and let him go. Or whatever reason. But that’s the only way they’re gonna be able to manage numbers in my opinion. That would slow the portal down.”

The idea makes some sense, but it would be yet another step toward making athletes seem like employees of the universities and colleges where they are attending school. Some would say that the new NIL rules have already created that dynamic, of course.

Nick Saban recently revealed some of the wild demands players have made while trying to use the transfer portal as leverage. If there were contracts in place, you would probably have less of that.

Gundy’s proposal might seem unrealistic, but you never know with the way college sports has been headed.