JACKSONVILLE – Consider Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and Duke head coach Manny Diaz among those in favor of a potential full-time college football commissioner to help the sport navigate bumpy waters.
Both the Rebels (9-3, 5-3 SEC) and Duke (9-3, 5-3 ACC) – who play in Thursday’s Gator Bowl – have been impacted by transfer portal departures in the weeks since the regular season ended. The Blue Devils, in particular, have been hit hard, as their top two quarterbacks and starting running back all opted to transfer prior to the bowl game.
Heading into their College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup against Boise State, Penn State head coach James Franklin was asked about his own backup quarterback transferring before their playoff run began, according to the Associated Press. The specific transfer “highlighted some of the frustrating aspects of a new college football world in the Name, Image and Likeness era and the transfer portal, forcing players to make tough decisions at inopportune times” per the Associated Press.
“I think one of the most important things that we can do is, let’s get a commissioner of college football that is waking up every single morning and going to bed every single night, making decisions that’s in the best interest of college football,” Franklin said, according to the AP.
Kiffin and Diaz were asked about the possibility of a college football commissioner in Wednesday’s Gator Bowl press conference. Both were adamant changes of some sort need to be made to the current situation.
“It’s just kind of all over the place, and the schedule, and for coaches to deal with players going in the portal,” Kiffin said. “I mentioned it before, like Manny’s situation, here goes your quarterback in the portal. We’re still playing. You would never create a system in professional sports that has things figured out that would have free agency right at the end of the regular season before the postseason.
“With all the tampering that’s been talked about and stuff and all that, it puts in the kids’ heads during the season that they’re going other places.”
Diaz, who was the defensive coordinator at Penn State last season, noted that because the college football season is now longer due to the CFP, the calendar needs to be adjusted accordingly, as it’s no longer a “one-semester sport.” He noted Penn State, which is headed to the CFP semifinals, could be playing until late January.
“I’ve been an advocate that we need to go to an NFL calendar, we need to get rid of spring football and move into early summer OTAs and mini-camps. We don’t have to invent this. The league has already figured it out,” Diaz said. “It’s ludicrous, like Lane said, to have player movement while the season is going on. And the only reason that is the case is because kids want to be at the spring semester at their next stop. And why do they want to be there for the spring? They want to be there for spring practice.
So if we can take away the incentive to move mid-term, we can finish the season.”
As for who the commissioner might be, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban was mentioned by Franklin as one possibility. Kiffin gave his endorsement of Saban; Kiffin served as Saban’s offensive coordinator for three seasons at Alabama and said his former boss “genuinely has the best interest for the game and the kids.” Diaz agreed Saban would be a good option.
“I think coach Saban would be phenomenal as commissioner. But it doesn’t matter who the commissioner is, you have to give the guy power,” Diaz said. “And right now the power is with the leagues. And if everybody wants to get in the sandbox and play nice and let someone be in charge of it, that would be best thing. Right now no one is showing that they’re willing to let somebody create consensus, and I think that’s what’s hurting our game.”
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