The transfer portal is as polarizing an offshoot of college football as anything. It divides people into 2 separate factions, with some overlapping in between. A middle ground of sorts, like a Venn Diagram. There are the traditionalists who think it’s ruining the sport. Since talent jumping ship has become a perpetual threat for coaches who helped develop and cultivate said talent. Then, there are those who are proponents who endorse its introduction and use. Since it helps programs fast-track success and gives players a shot at maximizing their collegiate careers. In the neutral zone are those who acknowledge it as a necessary evil. One that’s now etched in the modern fabric of the sport. Well, those in category #1 have just got a W courtesy of one player.

There’s a finite window for when a player can enter the transfer portal. You’ve got about a fortnight to gauge the landscape and decide whether you want to go elsewhere. Maybe it’s to try and get more bread or maybe more playing time. But once you’ve entered the portal, there’s no limit on when you come out, if ever. There have been instances of players simply traversing the portal with no takers and returning to base. Similarly, there have also been instances of players having a change of heart. Rescinding their name on their own accord, which can happen for a variety of reasons itself. It’s currently unknown what the reason is, but one G5 running back has just pulled off a full 180 and retracted their name from the portal.

The said player is Greg Burrell of Texas State. Interestingly, Burrell only came to TSU this off-season, during the earlier portal window in December. Now entering his sophomore year, the Las Vegas native spent his freshman season with his hometown UNLV. Who beat out some relatively “bigger” schools for the 3-star prospect. Burrell got a fair amount of playing time for the Rebels, putting up 366 yards on 65 carries alongside 3 trips to the endzone. 

Greg Burrell then took his talents from the Mountain West to the Sun Belt conference with the Texas State Bobcats. But this is currently a roster in a state of flux. Epitomized by the fact that they don’t have a clear QB1 in the ranks and have just acquired a new one themselves through the portal. This uncertainty was perhaps a factor in Burrell choosing to hit the portal again mere months later, having never played a game for Texas State.

However, 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports he has withdrawn his name after initially entering the portal on April 21. As aforementioned, the ‘why’ is unclear at this juncture. But aside from the uncertainty in the roster, which could’ve permeated over to his own place on the depth chart as well, there are a couple of possible reasons he pulled the plug on leaving.

It’s possible the grass wasn’t greener on the other side. Greg Burrell may not have liked the market out there for him and concluded that staying at Texas State was the ideal outcome. It’s also on the cards that he got coerced into staying by the school. Maybe a few guarantees in terms of his role, or a bigger piece of the NIL pie. For a team that’s got question marks at quarterback, losing another player in the backfield would’ve been far from ideal. Another possible reason is Burrell simply getting cold feet about leaving a spot he has just come down to. But whatever the case, Texas State and its fans will be pleased to have him back.

This is somebody who can be a potent difference-maker and move the sticks at will. He averaged a decent 5.6 yards/carry with UNLV. Behind a good O-line and with a QB to complement him, this should soar even further. Greg Burrell follows on from another, more prominent player reversing their decision and withdrawing from the transfer portal. 

Greg Burrell is part of a potential trend in this transfer portal window

South Alabama’s starting left tackle, Jordan Davis, pulled off the exact move as Greg Burrell earlier this week. Relatively smaller programs that have seen their best players get poached via the portal ad nauseam are getting some much-welcomed respite. This was one of the best offensive tackles in the portal and had genuine interest from the Power 4 level. 247Sports’ Brian Koon had reported Wisconsin was in for him. So for Davis to thwart a Big 10 program for the humble Sun Belt conference sure is both intriguing and puzzling.

When NIL was introduced, it was done from the viewpoint of making the playing field more balanced. Introduce more parity, rather than concentrating all the best players at the same traditional powerhouses and bluebloods. It has achieved this to some extent, and there aren’t any ‘super teams’ around right now, akin to years gone by. However, the smaller schools have still been getting picked on by those with expansive NIL arsenals. So Greg Burrell and Jordan Davis sticking around represents a potential change in the dynamic. Maybe we see more such flip-flopping going forward as players leverage their newfound power. Or, these could be mere exceptions to the norm. The gulf is still rather prominent, especially between the G5 and the Power 4.