A-portaling we will go

 Every day now, it seems, the now-fabled transfer portal wins more fans, and by that I mean "not fans." Since the NCAA instituted it during its current "Aw, hell, do whatever you want" phase, football and basketball players have been changing schools the way they change their socks. And everyone hates it.

(This includes coaches and former coaches, which is some stunningly impressive hypocrisy. Like they don't change schools the way they change their socks, and pretty much always have? And for the same reasons, i.e., bigger money and better opportunities?)

Anyway ... this is hitting home here in Indiana, where IU and Purdue are both experiencing a surge in transfer portal-ing. In Bloomington this is understandable and even predictable, because Indiana is in the middle of a regime change and the future for current IU players is therefore murky. In West Lafayette, however ...

Well. The Boilermakers are leaking bodies to the transfer portal at an even faster clip than IU, and on the surface that's a lot more concerning. Ryan Walters, after all, just finished his first season as Purdue's head coach. How much of an indictment of the direction players think his program is headed that so many are bailing on it -- or at least thinking about it, because entering the transfer portal doesn't necessarily mean you're leaving?

Here's my answer: It's not an indictment at all.

In fact, the Blob suspects the motivation isn't much different than it is in Bloomington.   In both places, uncertainty is a factor; at IU, the uncertainty of not knowing whom the new coach will be, and at Purdue, the uncertainty of not knowing how you fit into your new coach's vision going forward.

Every new coach, after all, has his own way of doing things and his own scheme, and sorting it all out takes time. Even players who, as at Purdue, played significant roles in Walters' first year may not be the right fit going forward. Or may not think they are.

I suspect that might be behind the surge of transfers in West Lafayette. Guys have had a season playing in Walters' system, and some have maybe decided it's not for them. And that's OK. They'll go elsewhere, and Walters will recruit replacements who are better fits (and perhaps better buy-ins). It's why we always reserve judgment on a coach until he's been through a couple of recruiting cycles.

Now, you can say all the transfer portal-ing indicates Walters hasn't done a very good selling job so far. But absent further evidence, I don't think the message here is "That guy's a tool, I ain't playin' for him."

In any case, a-portaling they are going. Do not be alarmed, Boilerheads.