Clemson Football: Transfer portal trainwreck is the new Signing Day, and I can’t stop watching

The Clemson Football regular season is over, but it seems like things are just getting started.

Though we are still a few days away from when many college football players can officially enter the transfer portal, the news of high-profile transfers is already dominating college football, even during the week leading up to conference championship games.

While some players can officially enter the portal now (players that graduate can enter immediately; players from programs with a head coaching change have an immediate 30-day window to enter), even those that can’t will still announce their intentions to enter next Monday.

I also don’t think anyone would be shocked if players who haven’t graduated, like Toriano Pride, are already in discussions with multiple programs.

The NCAA won’t really do anything about it because they are too afraid a lawsuit could knock down their house of cards and the cash cow that is college football will cease to exist.

This is a trainwreck, and I can’t stop watching.

It might not be admirable, but this is not uncommon in society. It’s the reason the Kardashians are famous. It’s why American Idol was so popular at one time. Simon Cowell treated people awfully but it was so entertaining. It’s why Coach Prime is still one of the most marketable head coach personalities in college football even when his team collapsed in the back half of the season.

I am loving the drama of the portal, and I am realizing this has been missing from my college football fandom for a few years now.

I used to get this from Signing Day. Not Early Signing Day, but the original February Signing Day that has been neutered.

I’m the first to admit I was in favor of the ESD, but I never considered I would be giving up the trainwreck of players flipping at the last minute, mothers grabbing the Letter of Intent and driving three states over to keep their son from going to a school/coach they didn’t like, or players committing to one school, not sending in the letter, and then committing to a different school 48 hours later.

Sometimes the transfer portal trainwreck can sting Clemson Football, but I can’t stop watching it

I know a lot of fans hate that stuff, but I couldn’t stop watching it. I would refresh Twitter every couple of minutes. That has been missing, until yesterday when I realized I was doing it again because it seemed like a high-profile athlete was entering the portal, or announcing they would eventually enter the portal, every few minutes.

I know the college football traditionalists will hate what I’ve said and probably engage in virtue signaling on social media. Fine, go ahead. You won’t rob me of this joy.

Sure, it’s a risk. Signing Day was fun until a big recruit didn’t choose your school, or someone flipped to go to Maryland. I was sad to see Beaux Collins leave yesterday, but sometimes you have to take the good with the bad.

The drama is back baby!