The poem comes first because nothing stands in the way of beautiful, biting, topical college-football poetry.
The newsletter from last week requested four-line poems about college football from its readers. In the words of renowned sportswriter Grantland Rice, writing isn’t always enough to capture the sadness of the human condition. We then turn to verse at that point. The fallout from Alabama coach Nick Saban’s retirement sparked a three-verse poem about athletes quitting the Crimson Tide for Mississippi reader Jeffrey A. Waite.
First published in Joe Goodman’s Sports, my Thursday newsletter!Joyful Hour. Input your email address at the top of his mailbag to subscribe to the newsletter:
The Transfer, by Jeffrey A. Waite of Mississippi:
You think you’re all that but you’re really just mere mortal.
So go ahead young stud, and jump in the portal.
Stop calling it NIL, we all know it’s just pay for play.
Nothing like the hundred dollar handshakes from back in the day.
So your favorite player leaves, causing you such pain.
But the collective at his new school, is making it rain.
The season was special, the message was LANK.
But at the end of the day, it’s all about the Bank.
So you traded the Crimson for the Garnet and Gold.
Not making the Playoffs is gonna feel cold.
Had you stayed, you coulda been first string.
Watching from the bench, is sure gonna sting.
Poetry submissions can be emailed to jgoodman@al.com. Kalen DeBoer, the new coach of Alabama, is this week’s prompt. Next week, we’ll publish more reader-submitted poetry.
The reorganization at Alabama provided other teams an opportunity to steal Alabama’s players. Aggression was higher in some schools than in others. Readers took note of a comment made by former offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor of Alabama. Following Saban’s retirement, Proctor, an Iowa native, transferred back home to the University of Iowa. Proctor stated in an interview that Iowa “still believed in me” as the reason for the choice. This is the entire quotation:
“Even when I was doing bad and struggling in the SEC, they [Iowa] still hit me up and said ‘we are proud of you. You are going to get through this.’ That is what ultimately helped me to my decision,” Proctor said. “They still believed in me. It feels good as soon as I came in here, I saw everyone cheering me on. They are happy for me. I know I did leave and it hurt people’s hearts, and it equated to them showing hatred, but that’s what every fan base does.”
Arriving home from a weekend vacation to Washington, DC, I’m at Dulles. I just heard that Proctor returned to Iowa after leaving Alabama because they “hit me up.” I dunno? Do you know what that means?
ANSWER: Excellent query, Robert. Proctor’s remark appears to indicate that Iowa contacted him regarding a transfer. In college football, tampering is prohibited, but let’s not act blindly. If communicating to schools before logging into the transfer system constitutes tampering, then everyone is doing it these days. Is it expected that Jahmyr Gibbs, a former running back for Georgia Tech, went straight to the transfer portal without first discussing his transfer to the Alabama Crimson Tide with the coaches?
In this instance, Proctor’s coach had retired, and it’s likely that the Alabama coaches were aware that Proctor’s sole motivation for attending the university was to play for Nick Saban. Come on, let’s be honest. The majority of athletes who transfer schools don’t do so carelessly.
I’m forward to hear your future opinions on NIL and its impact on collegiate football. Could you perhaps clarify to a die-hard fan how the NIL cash is actually managed? Despite my cynicism, are we really just discussing giving cheques to 18 and 19-year-olds who haven’t attended any classes yet? Additionally, I may have used the word “classes” incorrectly. I’m looking forward to your further columns on this topic.
ANSWER: Thanks, Hoyt. Athletes are paid through shell companies called NIL collectives. It’s just a slush fund by a different name. The NIL collectives buy the rights to players name, image and likeness under the theoretical idea that the NIL collective will then set up NIL opportunities for the players with outside companies. This allows the collectives to legally buy the NIL rights of players for any amount of money. It has nothing to do with attending class.
People inside college football joke that “NIL” stands for “now it’s legal.” The idea of a football program setting up a network of boosters to pay players isn’t new. It’s been going on for years. The schools with the large networks already in place had a head start on the competition when the NCAA changed its rules on amateurism.
From Jim Howell:
Do you think the bad showing in the Music City Bowl has had an impact on Freeze’s recruiting. I just saw where Ryan Williams recommitted to Bama. I thought he was Auburn bound. Also it seems recruiting momentum has slowed down since that beat down in Nashville. Do you think that loss has damaged recruiting?
ANSWER: Jim, I can’t even remember who Auburn played in the Music City Bowl. No one cares about that game. Auburn missing on Ryan Williams had nothing to do with the bowl game. Auburn’s latest class of recruits is loaded at the receiver position and Alabama told Williams he would take the place of Isaiah Bond, who transferred to Texas.
Earlier in the week, I wrote a column about former Alabama players Caleb Downs and Julian Sayin transferring to Ohio State. Plenty of readers called me on suggesting that Alabama was a victim.
From Billy Grizzard of Oxford, Ala.:
I just read your piece this morning about college football and cheating. You left me with the impression that Nick Saban and the University of Alabama are squeaky clean. Nothing is further from the truth. I ask you, who had the first college to receive a million dollar NIL deal before he ever put on a jersey for UAT? You fail to mention that Bryce Young was the very first one that became public before he ever took a snap as a quarterback. Where may I ask? The esteemed “squeaky clean” UAT.
Saban quit as a college coach because now all universities can do what UAT has always done. You don’t seem to remember the “collective” of automobile dealers in Gadsden that for about 20 years provided automobiles for kids from Gadsden who signed with the “squeaky clean” UAT.
ANSWER: Billy, everyone knows that Saban really retired because Chevrolet is discounting the Dodge Charger.
From Dan Entingh of Dayton, Ohio:
The transfer portal is open for any or all. Certainly the NIL is a can of worms that has and will continue to change the landscape of college football but to make a comparison to the Cheaters Up North is nonsense. Winners will continue to win as will your Bama team. My opinion but it did catch my click bait eye. Thanks. Long time Buckeye fan.
ANSWER: Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is famous for calling Michigan the “Team Up North.” Apparently the nickname has been modified after the Wolverines’ first national championship in 26 years.
Until next week, stay hydrated, America.
