SEC Football: The debate over graduate transfers and free agency

It is bash Nick Saban time again. As SEC football considers dropping its rule barring graduate transfers to other SEC schools, Nick is taking criticism for opposing the change.

It is not uncommon for Nick Saban to be in the minority among SEC football coaches. Saban wants a nine-game SEC football schedule. He wants Power Five schools to only play other Power Five schools. So far, Saban is a minority of one of those changes.

Vanderbilt and Kentucky being opposed to such scheduling changes is understandable. Maybe also for South Carolina, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Missouri. The remaining six head coaches should agree with Saban on the issue. Instead, they resist such change and it begs the question what they fear the most. Are they more afraid of tougher opposition or are they afraid of supporting anything they think might benefit Nick Saban?

Forget about what is best for the game of college football. Wins and dollars and championships come first because with them come the giant head coaching contracts.

Getting back to transfers and Nick Saban. Saban does not want to see SEC football become like college basketball where nationally, transfers number in the hundreds each season. Saban said this Tuesday at the SEC Spring Meeting,

"If we agree in the SEC at these meetings that we are going to have free agency in our league and everybody can go wherever they want to go when they graduate, if that’s what’s best for the game — then I think that’s what we should do."

Nick Saban clearly does not believe changing the rule is ‘what is best for the game.’ As much as the fans of every other college football program choose to disagree, Saban may be right.

Not a labor market issue

First, any argument stating a labor market is best served by freedom of changing jobs, misses the point. Students are not employees or contract labor. The graduate transfer issue is not bound by anyone’s interpretation of the meaning of free trade. College players are not selling their services to schools and hopefully, they never will.

College players are and are supposed to be students. The fact so many of them get degrees is tremendous. However, getting a degree in three years, while playing a major college sport is hard. No matter how smart a player is, an escalated graduation program requires academic support. Colleges invest considerable resources to allow some players to graduate early.

Is it unreasonable for a school to mandate, in exchange for those resources being given a player, that players will agree to not transfer to a conference opponent in their college career? We argue it is not unreasonable and also should not be construed as treating a player unfairly. And, in addition, the mandate is better for the game.

The SEC football, graduate transfer rule will change. It will happen either this week or in the not distant future. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen just to oppose Nick Saban.

Next: 25 Greatest Games in Saban Era

The silliest rule change being considered is limiting the number of headsets used by football staff during games. Instead of ‘rat poison’ Saban labeled the proposed change “mouse manure.”