On today’s episode of Longshore and McKnight John and Barry keyed in on the NCAA transfer portal and the increasingly chaotic landscape of college athletics.

They were joined by ESPN’s Tom Luginbill, discussed the growing influence of NIL deals, lack of regulation, and player mobility—particularly the impact of spring transfer season. Luginbill emphasized that without new structure or accountability, the system risks imploding under its own instability.

He predicted the eventual employment status of college athletes as inevitable and argued that treating them as such is the only viable long-term solution. The trio also examined player loyalty, NIL-based locker room tension, and the effect on high school recruiting.

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In addition, the hosts tackled tampering concerns, conference realignment rumors, and quarterback battles—especially at Alabama and Tennessee. They questioned whether players like Nico Iamaleava are receiving poor advice and misjudging their value on the open market. Luginbill called for tampering penalties and suggested compensating lower-tier schools when talent is poached. (Should they potentially move into an NFL format where players are under contract with the school they join and in order to transfer, another school can buy out their contract.

That way the school get’s money as well as the player. Smaller programs who were able to get some of the best players in the country due to poor scouting or their closeness to home should be compensated if someone they’ve invested in is poached.) He also praised Florida as a potential breakout team for the upcoming season.