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By Jordan Sigler
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The transfer portal has created a mess in college football, and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian made an argument for why athletes should be looking for a better deal rather than being loyal to their program.
Many coaches and fans complain that student athletes no longer have an allegiance to the school they join, as some players choose the paid mercenary route, hoping from program to another for their entire college career.
The truth is more complicated, as some programs choose not to be loyal to their students.
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Sarkisian told ESPN's Paul Finebaum that he let go of four players to bring in Cam Coleman, Hollywood Smothers, Raleek Brown and Mike Masunas. CJ Baxter, Parker Livingstone, DeAndre Moore and Tre Wisner were let go due to "cap space" issues. In NFL terms, those four were "cap casualties."
“I think in this day and age of the (Transfer Portal) and high school, you’ve got to have the ability to be strategic,” Sarkisian said, via On3. “To make the moves we make, to bring in a Cam Coleman, to bring in a Hollywood Smothers, to bring in a Raleek Brown, to bring in a Mike Masunas at tight end; we had to let DeAndre Moore go. We had to let Parker Livingstone go. We had to let Tre Wisner go. We had to let CJ Baxter go.
“This wasn’t like we kept acquiring… we had to let some pretty good players leave to create the cap space to bring those guys in. I think strategically, there were some tough decisions to make. But, we made them. I think we all can agree that we’re probably better around Arch (Manning) today than we were a year ago at this time.”
What's interesting about the four players Sarkisian let go is that they had been loyal to Texas up to that point.
Wisner joined Texas out of high school in 2023. Livingstone joined the Longhorns out of high school in 2024. Moore joined Texas out of high school in 2023. Baxter joined UT out of high school in 2023.
Instead of going with the players he developed out of high school, Sarkisian and his staff went into the transfer portal to find upgrades for the roster.
The players Sarkisian brought in should help Texas better compete for the SEC championship and for a national championship. Sarkisian, facing pressure to win a title with Arch Manning on the roster, made the best decision for his career and the program by cutting four players who had been loyal to Texas and bringing in elite talent.
It isn't just the athletes that are using the transfer portal selfishly. Players look to new schools as a way to earn a pay raise or join a better program that can help them prepare for the NFL, as was the case with Darian Mensah leaving Duke for Miami this winter.
Sarkisian used the transfer portal as a way to help him win more games at Texas, which would certainly help him in future contract negotiations.
Even with money attached, players are still disposable in college sports. Athletes would be wise to take Texas' precedent in the transfer portal as proof that they need to look out for their own interests in the offseason.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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