One of the most prominent critics of the Transfer Portal has been Clemson football head coach Dabo Swinney. Swinney recently appeared on The College GameDay Podcast and took verbal jabs at the transfer rules and the system's operation. “There are no rules right now. We want some rules,” He said.

Now, as Swinney said, there are no rules. Players can move around and go wherever they want, regardless of age, and thanks to NIL, it has become “pay-for-play.” However, more rules are set to come with the upcoming House settlement.

“And I think we're coming out of a period of complete chaos,” Swinney said. “And where there's no cap, the schools can't handle things directly, it comes from outside entities. You have the agent process that is not regulated.

“I mean, there are a lot of challenges, but I do think that we're about to enter into a much more structured environment that is going to, it might take a year, but I think it's going to create some markets, you know, to where there'll be some transparency, there's an actual cap. The best thing about the settlement is that it keeps college football scholastic.”

The Transfer Portal has upended college football, especially with the combination of NIL. The ability to transfer was always a part of college athletics. Still, players would have to sit out a year, or if they could play immediately, they were only allowed to be graduate transfers and had already finished most of their schoolwork.

Is college football headed to NFL model?

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Swinney also talked about how college football is on its way toward the NFL model regarding financial investment in its players and how implementing a cap on how much each school is allowed to spend can achieve competitive balance. That is a key part of the upcoming House settlement, but it won't fix the entire issue.

The Clemson football head coach also railed against the issue of transparency and how it works with NIL and the Transfer Portal. “So right now, there is no market, no transparency,” Swinney said. “It may take a year, but I think that will emerge.

“I think we all know the quarterback will make more than the linebacker. That's just the way it is. And right now, there's no rhyme or reason for really anything. It's just whatever feels good in the moment.”

In the grand scheme of things, Swinney is not wrong. He is speaking from a position of strength at Clemson football, a program richer than most, that has more pedigree, and can grab any player they want in the Transfer Portal. However, when someone in his position is annoyed with the system, that should tell everyone that things must change.