Cliff Ellis talks retirement, NIL, state of college sports

Former Auburn, South Alabama, and now former Coastal Carolina head basketball coach Cliff Ellis announced his retirement in a press conference this afternoon. Ellis was the current active wins leader among college coaches and the 8th winningest coach in NCAA Division 1 History.

Ellis has been outspoken about his opposition to the direction that college athletics is taking in the world of NIL and the transfer portal. While he is firmly for player compensation, he believes there needs to be transparency as to what’s going on and a cap:

“There have been lots of changes in this game and the challenges at a place like Coastal are enormous since it has become a money game. We’re developing players and having them taken. It was time to send a message,” Ellis stated.

RELATED: As playoff expansion looms, SEC title game stakes will drop

“We have lost key players the last three years, the path we are on is unsustainable and it’s hurting our game. We teach and another school takes them away. It’s not right.”

Ellis spoke on his unyielding belief that while players deserve compensation, things need to be more under control than they have been over the last few years.

“I’m also for player compensation. Colleges and universities are benefitting immensely from these athletes. But I’m a teacher of the game, and these last few years I’ve felt more like a General Manager of a team rather than a teacher. And now I’m gonna be focusing my time on calling on Congress and the NCAA to get some transparency and some kind of cap.”

RELATED: PASS Act: Tuberville, Manchin tackle NIL regulation

Ellis stated that while he knew entering this year that it was going to be his final season coaching basketball, now felt like the right time to step away eight games into the year in order to give his staff a chance at the job:

“I am very blessed for how much I’ve accomplished. I am also very thankful to Auburn and South Alabama, because none of this would have been possible without them. But the timing for me was right. I could have been selfish and stayed on. But I chose to be selfless and give my staff a shot at the job.”