David Hookstead
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Mike Gundy thinks he has the solution for fixing college football and mobility of players.
With the transfer portal and NIL, players have more freedom than ever before. On one hand, that’s a great thing. Players can cash in and earn lots of money whether they ever play a snap in the NFL or not.
There have also been some unintended consequences. Players are hopping in the portal all the time to chase better offers and more money.
Everyone knew it would happen, but the rate we’re seeing it at now wasn’t what people were expecting.
Mike Gundy floats contracts for players.
With college football starting to resemble the NFL more and more, the Oklahoma State head coach wants to see multi-year contracts as an option.
Great players could sign one-year deals, while lower recruits could try to lock up a spot for several years.
“That’s what we’re going to now. That’s the only way that we are going to have a chance to manage rosters,” Gundy explained when talking about his idea for lengthy contracts, according to Tulsa World.
“I’ve suggested it. I don’t know if anybody’s listened or cares, but high school kids ought to have an opportunity. 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 popular Oklahoma State coach added.
Gundy made it clear he truly believes contracts have to be the way things are moving forward.
“Until they come to contractual agreements in recruiting, that’s what we’re going to have to do as coaches. That’s the downfall right now. We don’t really know how to manage our numbers, because we don’t know what we’re going to be faced with,” the leader of the Cowboys explained when talking about the pressure coaches might face.
Will Gundy get support?
Will any other coaches sign onto Mike Gundy’s idea? Maybe, but it’s clear coaches want something done. One day, they could have several star players. The next, they could all be in the portal looking for better NIL deals.
There’s no question there’s a ton of chaos and the transfer portal is one of the main reasons why. Is handing out lengthy deals a solution? It’s certainly a bold suggestion.
Something is coming down the pipeline to try to regain some stability, but this might not be it. Mike Gundy is a bold man, but this idea might not have the popularity or the teeth to stick.
The headline really doesn’t give his full comments much justice. “Lengthy” wasn’t any part of what he said. He doesn’t care if it’s one, two, three, or four years. He’s just looking to manage his roster numbers by knowing how many could potentially be entering the portal based on length of contract.
Gundy is a really good coach who is willing to speak his mind, and think outside of the box. This idea may prove to have a lot of value for programs that want to target kids who will stay for all four years, and for athletes that are willing to make this commitment to get a scholarship at a school they may not otherwise be able to play for.