SMU head coach laments timing of transfer window after player enters portal as CFP looms

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While teams are vying for a national championship against 11 others, many college football players, including those in the College Football Playoff, are on the hunt for new schools.

The transfer portal opened up last week, several days before the 12-team College Football Playoff, and the timing has led to skepticism.

Earlier this week, Penn State backup quarterback Beau Pribula said he was put in an "impossible" situation to enter the portal, following Drew Allar's announcement to return next season, when the team has bigger things to focus on. Even head coach James Franklin said the quarterback was in a "no-win" situation.

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Southern Methodist Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee looks on from the field during a stoppage in play against the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium. (Amber Searls-Imagn Images)

Well, the head coach that will be opposite Franklin in Rhett Lashlee took it a step further, calling the timing "terrible."

"I feel so awful for our kids and kids around the country," the SMU head coach said on Tuesday, via ESPN. "There's no other sport at all that has free agency in the season. It's sad. It's terrible. You hear the story about their backup quarterback saying, 'I don't have a choice.' That's wrong. That's unacceptable. That's not OK. He shouldn't have to make that decision.'"

Head coach Rhett Lashlee, left, of the SMU Mustangs and head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers speak before the ACC Football Championship at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 7, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

PENN STATE'S JAMES FRANKLIN POINTS OUT BIG