Well, college football programs aren’t copying each other’s homework anymore. It turns out the real game isn’t just football vs. football anymore. It’s like football vs. basketball, or even football vs. the whole dang athletic department. And two guys who are finding that out the hard way? Josh Heupel at Tennessee and Billy Napier at Florida.
They’re both getting a serious reality check with the transfer portal and that $6.9 million NIL gamble. Yeah, that’s not helping their CFP chances either.
How Josh Heupel needs to fix his glasses, as his key to success is there at home
Let’s talk Tennessee first. Heupel’s crew got hit hard in the portal this year. Eighteen guys dipped, which is, like, a whole starting lineup and then some. At first, they were kind of slow to respond, only pulling in a couple of guys. Amari Jefferson at receiver and Wendell Moe Jr. on the O-line, solid pickups, but seriously lacking depth. They did add more later, but the whole thing felt a bit…patchy.
And then, you’ve got the high school recruiting class. Solid, sure, but in today’s game, you gotta be savvy with the portal too. That’s where 247Sports comes in, dropping some truth bombs. They were like, ‘Hey, Heupel, look at your basketball team!’ Rick Barnes is working magic with the portal, and Heupel could learn a thing or two.
Beat writer Patrick Brown gave a rundown on what Heupel can master fromBarnes’ basketball program. To the analyst, the biggest advice for Vols “is finding those gems in the transfer portal. Over the past two off seasons.” Barnes and the Vols have brought in Dalton Knecht from Northern Colorado, and Chaz Lanier from North Florida. Knecht was selected with the 17th overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft. The Lakers’ rookie had a big night with 32 points, two rebounds, and one assist against Denver when LeBron James went out due to a groin injury. That’s how he is making his college basketball HC proud in the pro league.
Not to forget the “heart and soul and backbone” of the program—Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack. The guard hit one of the biggest shots of the season for Tennessee basketball, draining a walk-off, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give Tennessee a 79-76 win over rival Alabama. That’s how Barnes is reaping the sweet fruits of the transfer portal. And Heupel can also taste the sweet rewards.
The analyst thus tried to bring the HC’s attention. “Josh Heupel wants to build his program with those kind of guys- the Vols emphasize traditional high school recruiting classes, developing those players, and keeping them out of the portal versus the portal heavy approach a lot of other SEC teams have taken.” It’s not that he is not trying.
The 2024 Ohio State transfer cornerback Jermod McCoy turns out to be a steal deal. McCoy has the highest grade in pass coverage of any player in the SEC who’s played at least 20 snaps of pass defense. But still, the overall picture? It’s a bit blurry. Heupel wants to develop guys in-house and keep them from jumping ship. Which is admirable, but the SEC is a shark tank. You gotta be ready to adapt, to grab talent wherever you can find it. And if your basketball coach is showing you how it’s done, you gotta pay attention. Now what about the Gators?
What does Billy Napier’s program need now?
Now, let’s head down to Gainesville. Napier’s got his own set of problems. He’s already been feeling the heat, you know, the whole “hot seat” talk. And then, seventeen players bail on him through the portal. That’s a serious vote of no confidence. And yeah, he’s brought in some guys, five from the winter window, but it’s like trying to patch a leaky boat with duct tape.
Zach Goodall, the analyst, is straight up about it. “If we’re looking at it for this season, it might be a little late at this point with only one more transfer portal window to come. But the way I look at it is Florida needs to be more successful in the transfer portal when it comes to football. You look at basketball and Todd Golden is largely build his team through portal and really hit on a lot of players there.” Alijah Martin, Vladislav Goldin, Joey Slackman—those are the kind of portal wins Napier needs.
SPORTS-FBC-BIANCHI-COLUMN-OS Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier says the performance of his team was embarrassing in Saturday s blowout loss to Miami in the season opener. Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel/TNS Gainesville FL USA EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xOrlandoxSentinelx 120583588W WilliexJ.xAllenxJr.x krtphotoslive944768
It’s not that Napier hasn’t brought in talent, but they’ve missed on some big names. Goodall said it himself, “They had their fair share of misses two more at the top of the market, just lack of aggression to speak. You have to wonder in hindside if some of those players could have helped Florida get over the hump a little bit faster than they seem to have believed.” It’s like they’re window shopping instead of actually buying what they need. And then, there’s the NIL elephant in the room.
Tennessee was the talk of the town with Nico Iamaleava’s massive $8M deal. But guess what? The team is down to $3.1 million in adjusted NIL value. And Florida is at $3.8 million. That $6.9 million gamble? It’s looking more like a losing lottery ticket. Both Heupel and Napier are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
They’re trying to build their programs, but they’re not fully embracing the new reality of college football. They’re missing the lessons right in front of them, in their own basketball programs. It’s like, your roommate’s cooking up gourmet meals, and you’re still eating ramen. Time to learn some new recipes. And in the SEC, you can’t afford to be a step behind. They need to adapt, to be more aggressive in the portal, and to figure out how to make their NIL strategies work. Otherwise, their CFP hopes? They’re gonna stay just that—hopes.
The post Josh Heupel and Billy Napier Hit With Blunt Transfer Portal Reality as $6.9M Gamble Exposes Struggling CFP Fate appeared first on EssentiallySports.
