Group of 5 head coach 'happy for' all-conference player leaving via transfer portal

ULM head coach Bryant Vincent did something extremely rare this week. He talked about the transfer portal in honest terms.

After leading the Sun Belt in rushing yards as a true freshman, ULM star an Ahmad Hardy announced his week he is entering the transfer portal. The first ULM player in more than 20 years to win Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors, in another era Hardy would've been the cornerstone of Warhawk football for the next two to three years.  

That era is dead and buried next to your Great Aunt Edna, and as likely to rise from the grave as she is. In its place is a system that allows the Ahmad Hardys of the world to cash in (literally) on their success in Division II, the FCS or the Group of 5 at a different level fo ball. 

Rather than bemoan the state of the game, Vincent has accept it and to work it to his advantage. That began with praising Hardy as he exited the program.

"From the day he got here to the day he left, he gave everything he had to this university, to this football team, and he did it the right way," Vincent said. "He practiced at an elite level, he was a great teammate, he was a great person, and he represented us first-class. And I'm happy for Ahmad Hardy, because he did it the right way."

Vincent recognized Hardy's departure not as an existential threat to ULM football and his job security, but as a marketing opportunity. His current players know that practicing and competing the right way will be rewarded. Future players know the same as well.

As the play-caller at New Mexico and UAB before landing the ULM job, Vincent's offenses have produced an 1,100-yard rusher in four straight seasons.  

"The flip side of that is, I've got Power 4 running backs reaching out that want to turn their NL in, because they want those 25 to 28 carries, because they know what we're going to do on offense," Vincent said. "There's a flip side to it, too. I wish him nothing but the best and I mean that from my heart, because of who he is and how he did it, but there's a lot of running backs that want to come here. They've seen it, and they've seen the last four running backs before Ahmad, what they did."

The transfer portal was forced upon college football at legislative gunpoint, so I don't expect any coach to stand before the public and say "I like the current system we have and hope it never changes." The drawbacks to unlimited player movement are obvious and numerous.

At the same time, the way coaches talk about the portal in public is rarely honest. It's too easy to lose players coaches want to keep, yes, but it's also never been easier to rid yourself of players you don't want to keep, just as it's never been easier to add players, either. You don't get one without the other. The portal can give as easily as it can take, and it's nice to see one FBS head coach acknowledge that. 

"That's college football now," Vincent said.