Back in the old days, meaning before the pandemic, a college football coach losing multiple contributing players via the transfer route was, without a doubt, bad news.
Maybe there was a problem in the locker room. Maybe there was some sort of disconnect between players and coach. Maybe promises made during recruiting were not coming through after signing day.
When enough talent took off, something was up.
But now that the NCAA a) allows both first-time transfers and graduate students to play immediately elsewhere without sitting out a season, and b) allows players to shop for the best name, image and likeness deals money can buy, it’s a lot more challenging to determine if a transfer trend within a team says something about a coach, or if it’s simply a sign of the times.