ASU HC Kenny Dillingham Tells CFB Coaches Complaining About NIL, Transfers to 'Quit'

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham doesn't have much time for coaches who bristle at adapting to the current landscape in college athletics.

"I literally spent nine years of my life doing anything to become a coffee boy," he said on Bickley & Marotta Mornings on Arizona Sports. "So, don't give me the, 'Oh, it's hard to be a coach right now.' Yeah, it's hard. Then quit."

Oklahoma State men's basketball coach Mike Boynton was similarly dismissive of complaints about how the job has evolved thanks to NIL and the transfer portal. He recounted the painstaking process of recruiting Cade Cunningham to the Cowboys and contrasted that with how an NIL deal can fast-track things.

Plenty of notable coaches have expressed their dissatisfaction with how NIL or the portal has made their lives more difficult and changed the player-coach dynamic.

Few are more symbolic of that archetype than Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney. Swinney not only famously said he'd ponder quitting if athletes started to be compensated but has also resisted embracing the portal.

Because of that, Swinney is also an example of how quickly a coach's fortunes can turn if they fail to change with the times. The Tigers were once a mainstay in the College Football Playoff and now look well behind the curve relative to their peers.

The transfer portal and NIL aren't going anywhere, and if anything, the trend could accelerate based on how much external pressure the NCAA is receiving.

To Dillingham's point, if you're a head coach, you can either stop grumbling about it or choose a different profession.