Earlier this month, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was in the news after dropping an open letter to the college football community. In the letter, Harbaugh said that he supported players leaving for the NFL before spending three years in college and players being allowed to return to college if they go undrafted, among other things.
Since the letter made the national news, many coaches from across the country have come out and agreed with Harbaugh’s thoughts, while others have disagreed.
Well, Harbaugh has some strong words for the coaches who are not on board with giving the players more rights.
From 247Sports:
“I think, honestly, they like managing it themselves,” Harbaugh said. “You know, ‘we got this.’ They don’t mind taking a player and getting a waiver, you know when it helps their team. Then we also have this this run-off waiver, in effect, but we also have a rule that says that you can’t reduce somebody’s scholarship for ability reasons. So those two rules really fly in the face of each other.
“I think the college coaches like to have their cake and eat it too. They will run off the players that you don’t want, and get new ones to come in and we’ll get a transfer waiver for them.”
“(In the proposed changes) the youngster has the ability to say, ‘Well, I want to decide whether I have a one-time transfer,’ then that puts the decision-making power, that seat at the table in the hands of the student-athlete and their family,” Harbaugh said. “Yeah, it’s gonna be more work (for coaches). You’re gonna have to manage your roster. But you bring up a great point, there’s 4,187, I believe, players that are in the transfer portal right now for football this year, so we’re already doing that as coaches. We’re already managing that part of the roster.”
“I don’t think, even if it is so big, there’ll be (more than) a little bit more work, and you’re getting paid enough to do a little bit more work,” Harbaugh said.
“If this is something that benefits and empowers, you know, the guys who play, the student-athletes and their family, then that’s what we should be after.
“I mean, everybody espouses that that’s the reason they got into this game and became a coach — for the kids and for the student-athletes and their family — so it’s the right thing. It’s a little bit more work for the coaches, but the players will have their … they’ll be able to have their cake and eat it too.”
Nation, what do you think? Do you agree with Harbaugh on this subject?
