When the NCAA decided to change the rules and open up the transfer portal, did it have any idea things would get this bad? Forgive us for saying this, but college football as we know it has become a total joke. Players are leaving left and right, but that's not the issue.
The issue is that because of the portal and NIL deals, tampering has reached a new level and playmakers are being targeted by other coaching staffs even if they haven't entered the portal. This is something that Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell is sick and tired of.
Not long ago, Fickell slammed coaches from different schools for recruiting his players. The timing was interesting, as standout cornerback Xavier Lucas announced he was leaving Madison out of nowhere. You know what, Fickell has every right to be upset about things.
Luke Fickell on 97.3 The Game: "Every kid is being recruited right now. Not just kids in the transfer portal. That’s what’s probably the most alarming thing. It’s making it almost impossible to have some semblance of where you're headed because there’s open lines to everybody."
— Jesse Temple (@jessetemple) December 19, 2024
Luke Fickell is tired of tampering becoming the new norm for college football
While we don't want to speak for Fickell, it sure seemed like he was particularly upset about the whole Lucas saga. Over the weekend, a report dropped that Wisconsin had yet to send in his paperwork to enter the portal. What's going on there?
Keep in mind that right after Lucas said he wasn't going to be playing for UW in 2025, multiple recruiting experts projected him to transfer to Miami. We're not going to say the Hurricanes did some illegal recruiting here. Nope, that's not what we're saying at all.
However, we're also curious as to what changed Lucas' mind like this. There's something going on behind the scenes, and we're hopeful things are cleared up soon. Wisconsin has been busy in the portal, landing 14 transfer commitments thus far too.
With that said, Fickell has done things the right way, waiting for guys to enter the portal first. He wants coaches to follow suit and be respectful with the way they target players, but that seems to be a thing of the past for college sports as a whole.