Lincoln Riley Says College Football Is Now Professional, With Yearly Free Agency

It's officially transfer portal season in college football, and with it comes the frustrating realization that there's little point in getting attached to the players on your favorite team's roster. Former five-star recruits, starting players, promising freshmen and sophomores progressing through a young career…there's no way to predict who or who will not enter the portal.

If it's starting to feel like it's not the same college football most remember from their youth, it's because it isn't. It's essentially a professional sport now. And that's not an outsider's opinion either, it's shared by many involved at the top programs in the country. Including USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley. 

Riley spoke recently on a USC-run show and gave a lengthy answer to what the modern transfer portal means, how kids are using it, and what the program and coaching staff has to consider as they go through the process. 

"Everyone's different. And it's tough, because, we're still the college model. I mean, a lot of these guys we know, we know well. A decent amount of 'em, not all of 'em, but a decent amount we recruited. But, we're a college model that's becoming a professional model. And, I know some people don't want to say that, but it's here. Like, it is what it is," Riley said.

"And, the reality is, there are just some guys that you either can't or are not gonna pay what they want, or you assess their value and it does not - just like, I mean, you guys have done the NFL thing, you've seen it. If your value doesn't match the money, then, it's not going to go well much longer, right? It's not gonna go further. And it's just, there's a cutthroat part of that that's just part of being a professional organization. And again, that's what