Just heppin’ the young people

Greg Sankey says he and the SEC coaches are a little worried about the transfer portal — oh, not for themselves, mind you, but for the young men who aren’t really capable of making decisions for themselves.

“I identified my concerns that we have young people going into the transfer portal who are under the impression perhaps there’s a waiver on the other side,” Sankey said, “and are making decisions when that may not be the case.”

That issue would certainly hit home with former Georgia freshman tight end Luke Ford, who transferred to Illinois but had his waiver request denied.

The eligibility waivers are determined on a case-by-case basis.

Former Bulldogs’ quarterback Justin Fields, for example, was granted his request for immediate eligibility and is expected to start at Ohio State this season.

But neither Ford nor Fields knew for sure what their status would be when they entered the portal, and Sankey and league coaches want to do something about that.

“The focus (was) on students-athletes understanding their status as they enter this (transfer) process,” Sankey said, “ …. so they make informed decisions.”

Yes, because if there’s one thing associated with the recruiting process when these same kids made their first decision to enroll, it’s that they’re fully informed of things like the coaches who’ve pitched themselves as being a big part of their future having plans to leave the program after signing day.

Even if I want to take Sankey’s touching concern as legitimate, exactly whom does he propose be responsible for providing these kids with the necessary information?  And, anyway, how can anyone know in advance whether a waiver will be granted?

The easier way out here is simply to give every student-athlete one free bite at the transfer apple, with no strings attached.  That’s takes the random subjectivity out of the equation, but I’m guessing that might be a little more freedom than Sankey’s comfortable with… for the kids, that is.

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