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Michigan DC Don Brown on transfer portal: ‘I’m not sure this is the way it’s supposed to be’
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Don Brown has seen a lot of things change throughout his career as a football coach. Whether those were alterations to the game of football or policy tweaks the NCAA has instituted, the Michigan defensive coordinator has witnessed quite a bit.
There’s one recent development that Brown can’t quite seem to understand, though, and it just so happens to be one of the most talked about topics in college sports.
The NCAA transfer portal.
On Friday, Brown talked about the NCAA transfer portal, a new system that allows players to explore other opportunities by entering their name into the database. Other coaches are permitted to speak with potential transfers while the player is still permitted to return to his original program.
Brown doesn’t quite agree with the new approach to transferring.
“I’m just 63 years old and I just,” Brown said, according to MLive.com. “I’m not sure this is the way it’s supposed to be. But that’s just me.”
Michigan has dealt with players entering their name into the transfer portal to explore other options. Most notably, former five-star prospect Aubrey Solomon decided to leave the Wolverines and join Tennessee. Recently, four-star recruit Myles Sims entered his name in the portal.
Brown says it’s the fact that players are running away from adversity that bothers him most about the concept.
“I’m just not sure it’s good for anybody,” Brown said. “Face adversity. Adversity introduces a man to himself. So, Don Brown has a problem with a player? I’m out. Is that teaching a young man anything? Is he learning anything from it?
“There’s something about it that just makes me feel bad. That we’re not still an education. That we’re still not part of the educational process. Learning to deal with people and situations that may be adverse, I think, are all things that are important.”
The transfer portal is in its infancy and is still a new concept to both college football and basketball. It’s likely to pick up more interest over the years. Already, over 500 Division I athletes have entered their name in the portal.
While many acknowledge that there should be a more player-friendly approach to transferring for players who are looking for a new avenue, there’s some concern over whether the transfer portal is the right way to do it.
Clearly, Brown isn’t on board with the new concept.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB