South Carolina’s latest football hire redefines transfer portal madness | Whitley
You hear a lot about the chaos NIL and the transfer portal has wrought on college football, and how schools need to limit player movement.
But what about coaches?
Shawn Elliott resigned as Georgia State’s head coach last week to become the tight ends coach at South Carolina. He did it two days into the Panthers’ spring practice.
It’s sort of hard to develop a program without a coach, so Georgia State had to postpone spring practice and its spring game.
How’s that for turmoil?
I don’t necessarily blame Elliott. He’s a South Carolina native and was a Gamecocks’ assistant under Steve Spurrier. He actually took a pay cut ($811,000 to $750,000) to take the job.
The point is, he had the freedom to do it. Guess who doesn’t?
There’s no doubt the transfer portal has turned roster management into a massive migraine. There have to be windows to keep players from leaving willy-nilly.
I’m pretty sure, however, that no school has ever had to postpone spring practice because a player bolted for another school.
Elliott had been at Georgia State for six years. He’d just signed a dozen new recruits who thought they’d be playing for him. So did everybody else on the roster.
If there are restrictions on when players can leave, shouldn’t the same rules apply for coaches?
We’d ask Georgia State’s players, but they’re busy twiddling their thumbs waiting for spring practice to resume. …
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Stud of the Week: Caitlyn Clark
For scoring 49 points against Michigan to become women college basketball’s all-time scoring leader.
Dud of the Week: Michigan’s women’s basketball team
The players wrote Clark a fan note and gave her a gift after the game. With that kind of competitive fire, they should all make next year’s NBA All-Star Game.
Dud II: The NBA All-Star Game, which the East won 211-186. I’d say it was the worst display of defense since the 2023 Gator football team, but those guys at least tried to stop the other team.
Dud III: The weather. Have they finished the Daytona 500 yet?
UF baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan got a four-year contract extension through 2033 last week. It will pay him $1.844 million a year. By 2033, that’ll probably be what UF’s backup left tackle will make in NIL money. …
Shoe Business: Donald Trump launched his line of “Never Surrender” basketball shoes at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia over the weekend. The shiny gold high-tops go for $399 and come with a top-secret document stuck inside. ….
Fair & Balanced: Not to be outdone, Joe Biden plans to launch a line of “Air Bidens.” They’ll cost U.S. citizens $369, but illegal immigrants will get them for free. …
Thanks to the 15-minute overtime, CBS made an extra $60 million from commercials in the Super Bowl. And yes, that will explain why next year’s game will somehow go into double OT. …
Weather II: After losing Friday night to St. John’s, the rainouts Saturday and Sunday marked the first time Florida left the opening weekend without a win. Hopefully, Gator fans will wait at least one more weekend before they start chanting “Fire O’Sullivan! …
Michigan II: As best as can be determined, no football players have ever written gushy notes or given gifts to Ohio State players after a game. …
The NHL announced last week the team salary cap for next season will be $87.7 million. That is $12.3 million less than the Dodgers will pay Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani, neither of whom has ever scored a goal.
In related news, the league said the 2025 “Stadium Series” game between Columbus and Detroit will be played at Ohio State’s football stadium. Hopefully, stadium renovations will be completed by 2028 so the Lightning and Panthers can play that year’s outdoor game at The Swamp. …
The Lakers picked up point guard Spencer Dinwiddie last week, along with his contract that awards him a $1 bonus if his team wins the NBA title. Dinwiddie and his agent stuck that in as a joke when he played for the Wizards in 2021.
After California takes out state taxes, environmental impact fees and EV surcharges, Dinwiddie’s bonus will be 12 cents if the Lakers win it all. …
Presidential Trivia: Despite the urging of his PR staff, George Washington never appeared at Sneaker Con. …
Iowa II: Caitlyn Clark’s 49 points against Michigan was 49 more than the Iowa football team scored against ranked opponents last season. That explains why those teams wrote notes to Kirk Ferentz after the games thanking him for keeping his son, Brian, as offensive coordinator. …
Sneaker Update: LeBron James says he will wear Donald Trump’s “Never Surrender” sneakers because they are not made in China. …
Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, 45, wants to fight in the Paris Olympics but the age limit is 40. The IOC says it will waive that requirement if Pacquiao identifies as a 23-year-old Tanzanian female. …
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Trivia: The Gators hockey team has never lost a game at The Swamp. ...
Breaking News: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the league will offer a $1 million bonus to the first player who tries to block a shot at next year’s All-Star Game. …
That’s about all the space we have for this week’s Whitley’s Believe It or Not. Thank-you notes and gifts are always appreciated, but never expected.
David Whitley is The Gainesville Sun's sports columnist. Contact him at dwhitley@gannett.com. Follow him on X @DavidEWhitley
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Shawn Elliott's South Carolina move redefines transfer portal chaos
