The NCAA transfer portal officially opened on Monday, December 9—adding another layer of intrigue to the already awkward college football calendar.
Players looking to transfer will have to do so in a 19-day span between now and Dec. 28, all while roughly 100 teams are getting ready to play in bowl games, including 12 set to compete for a national title over the next six weeks.
Despite the NCAA calendar and transfer portal rules, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham says it won't affect his players' stance with the team—even after the Sun Devils qualified for the 2024 College Football Playoff on Saturday.
"We've met with most of our guys that are going in [to the portal],” the 34-year-old head coach explained on Monday following ASU's Big 12 Championship win this past weekend. “Our guys have the opportunity to stay on our football team."
Dillingham went on to say that some players who plan on transferring have offered to wait until after their playoff run to enter the portal. Here's what he told them:
"I go, 'No, that's not fair to you to go in after our run is over. Like, I want you to have the best opportunity to find a spot. You can go in right now, day one. We'll help you find a spot and stay on our football team if you wanna stay on our football team, and let's go on this ride together the rest of the way.'"
Kenny Dillingham's perspective on ASU players who are entering the transfer portal:
— Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) December 9, 2024
"Our guys have the opportunity to stay on our football team, and they're like, 'We'll go in (the portal) at the end,' and I go, 'No, that's not fair to you to go in after our run is over. I want… pic.twitter.com/5HW1JbxQ6l
Dillingham made clear that he just wanted to support his players, regardless of whether or not they would be his players come next season.
"I didn't want those guys to feel like they had to wait to go in—because they wanted an opportunity to have a bigger role for a program—until after the CFP," he continued. "I think that would have hurt their chances [to transfer], so I made it very clear to the guys that you can stay on the team...even if you go in the portal here that doesn't affect me at all. That's just us being on the same page trying to help you achieve what you want to achieve in your career."
A pretty cool perspective from a young, up-and-coming college head coach who—even in the age of NIL, constant transfers, and ever-changing playoff rules—only wants the best for his players.
The Sun Devils earned a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff as a top-four-seeded conference champion. They'll take on the winner of Clemson vs. Texas on New Year's Day from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Peach Bowl.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ASU HC Kenny Dillingham Reveals Surprising Approach to Transfer Portal Ahead of CFP.
