The transfer portal has opened the door for top-tier players to find a fresh start after coaching changes or any other shifts that don’t fit well with the players. Most of the time, that hits the school, but there’s no way to control it. Here’s where the former Oregon DC Tosh Lupoi speaks out on how this happened and why it matters.

There’s no real model that anybody is operating off of here. It’s just ideas and rules getting put in place, and then you have to react to them. There’s no curriculum, there’s very limited information, and there’s no model. It’s just ever-changing. You know, we learn the portal dates, right? Those change every year. So what you do is you react, right?” said Lupoi during his Wednesday presser.

“So, as far as what we’re offering, there’s no real model to go off of, so you just say it’s unlicensed agents involved, along with licensed agents. It’s mentors, cousins, and family members that are involved with them.”

Lupoi’s statement reflects the Cal coaches’ difficulty in stacking and retaining talent in the transfer portal era. Moreover, with NIL coming into play, the combination of these two means that while one school gains, another suffers. Especially high-profile positions, like QBs, are treated like pro free agency, with bidding wars.

However, despite offering big, lucrative NIL deals, sometimes family ties still matter, while agents’ involvement can make navigating the portal game even harder. Lupoi lost several priority targets in building their 2026 roster. Cooper Barkate, a WR from Duke, was a priority target, though he ultimately chose Miami. QB Sam Leavitt, the ASU transfer, also drew Cal’s interest, but he signed with LSU instead. In total, Cal lost 32 scholarship players in the portal.

The timing of the portal window was also a matter for Lupoi. During the transfer portal window, surely he took on head coaching responsibilities for the Golden Bears, but his duties at Oregon weren’t over yet. He led the Ducks in the CFP until their loss to IU in the semifinals. After returning to his alma mater to replace Justin Wilcox, Tosh Lupoi went all-in on the transfer portal, adding 32 players.

Standouts include Kamar Mothudi, Jericho Johnson, Chase Hendricks, Cooper Perry, and more. Interestingly, the 2026 class is already making noise, ranked No. 14 nationally. Still, without a fixed calendar, Lupoi emphasized the unpredictable nature of the recruiting landscape in the portal era.

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It comes across as a criticism of the NCAA’s fluid scheduling. But it’s not just Lupoi. Before him, the Texas head coach, Steve Sarkisian, also voiced how the transfer portal has changed the CFB landscape.

Like Tosh Lupoi, Steve Sarkisian opened up about the portal issue

Steve Sarkisian has been handling his team carefully during this ‘no rules’ tumultuous time. Between the transfer portal, NIL deals, and agents, running a program sometimes feels like managing a pro team, but without the rules that keep pros in check. That’s when, for Sarkisian, the agents are the wild card.

“It’s so strategic, because it’s one, about need. It’s two, about money, you know. And the cost. And where’s the market? And which agent are you dealing with?” said Sarkisian ahead of the Citrus Bowl this past season.

Then, Sarkisian explained that agents are often unregulated. And sometimes this becomes a harsh reality for both the coach and the program.

“Some agents are rational,” he said. “And for some, this is their first time being an agent. I don’t even know if they’re licensed. In college football, it might be their college roommate from freshman year. And suddenly they’re throwing numbers at you, and you’re like, ‘We can’t even deal with this.’ You just move on. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the reality.”

Still, Sarkisian deals with this chaos by holding onto his players, recruiting, and navigating the portal. With all these changes, coaches are surely facing challenges, but Sarkisian knows this is the new normal.