Lane Kiffin Rips NCAA Transfer Portal: Players Are Going Where They Get Paid Most

Like many college coaches, Lane Kiffin does not appear to be a fan of the NCAA's new, looser rules on player transfers.

The Ole Miss coach said Monday that players have begun treating the transfer portal like a sort of free agency. 

"I don't think people really say it this way, but let's not make a mistake: We have free agency in college football," Kiffin told reporters. "The kids a lot of times go to where they're going to get paid the most. No one else is saying that, maybe. But the kids say 'This is what I'm getting here from NIL.'"

The NCAA began allowing players to make money off their name, image and likeness earlier this year. Several star-level players have signed contracts in the six or even seven figures, and even most lower-profile players at Power Five schools have been able to cash in. 

The NCAA now also allows players to transfer one time without losing a year of eligibility. Under previous rules, players needed a hardship exemption or they would have to sit out a season.

The NCAA began allowing players to make money off their name, image and likeness earlier this year. Several star-level players have signed contracts in the six or even seven figures, and even most lower-profile players at Power Five schools have been able to cash in. 

The NCAA now also allows players to transfer one time without losing a year of eligibility. Under previous rules, players needed a hardship exemption or they would have to sit out a season.

Kiffin is probably not wrong in his assessment of the new market. It's almost certain players are comparing their NIL opportunities at different schools, and programs with strong local business ties are going to have more robust offers waiting for top talent.

While Kiffin and other coaches may not like the new normal, the situation seems far more like a feature than a bug. For decades, players have been cut out of a multi-billion-dollar business that saw coaches and school administrators get rich off what amounted to unpaid labor. 

Kiffin's new contract at Ole Miss will pay him $7.5 million annually. He's also no stranger to abandoning a program when a better opportunity comes along; Kiffin remains persona non grata in Tennessee after bolting for USC after only one season in Knoxville. We've seen Brian Kelly (Notre Dame to LSU), Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma to USC) and Mario Cristobal (Oregon to Miami) leave one major program for what they felt was a better—and more lucrative—opportunity elsewhere.