More than 4,500 Division 1 players have entered the transfer portal this offseason, highlighting the ever-growing need for both competition and compensation in college sports. However, if you were to ask some of their now former head coaches, it is lack of adversity, rather than opportunity, that is to be blamed for this mass exodus.
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Criticism is an inherent part of life, of learning, growing, and developing. It’s even more important in player development. But according to figures like Deion Sanders, all it takes is one overly critical film session to send your four and even five-star talent sprinting toward the transfer portal these days.
“You want to go chase a bag instead of chase the game,” Sanders recently said while speaking with Barstool Sports. “Chase the game. The game got the bag. Don’t chase the bag, the bag ain’t got the game.” The idea of the youth becoming too sensitive to criticism isn’t novel. But with other NFL legends, such as Cam Newton, starting to reiterate what Sanders is claiming, perhaps there’s more truth to be found here.
During the latest episode of his 4th & 1 podcast, the former face of the Carolina Panthers likened the latest generation’s mindset to that of a new pencil.
“That pencil thinks it’s the best pencil in the pack… That pencil becomes the best pencil in the pack by what it’s able to go through in the pencil sharpener. If a pencil could actually talk… Do you think that it would be comfortable… when it’s going through a sharpener? No, it would not. A lot of times, these kids, when they’re going through these transfer portals, they run from the pencil sharpener,” elaborated Newton.
For the ‘old heads’, including Newton, the introduction of NIL and the transfer portal, while at times beneficial, has ultimately led to an ever-increasing lack of accountability in sports. The majority of these players will never see the professional level, and even fewer will have an opportunity to play elsewhere once their college career comes to an end.
Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes have also been active in the transfer portal this year, bringing in 17 new players so far. Coach Prime addressed the influx of talent, emphasizing that the program’s latest additions were drawn to Boulder for reasons beyond financial incentives.
“These guys are going to get what they get because they deserve it. If they deserve it, then we [are] going to give it to them,” Sanders said. “They ain’t here about no bag. They [are] here about playing the game of football at its highest level. And then they know what comes with that.”
Of the 17 transfers Colorado has secured, 15 are rated as three-star prospects, reflecting a focus on development and fit rather than star rankings alone. The most recent addition is cornerback Cree Thomas, who transferred from Notre Dame. He was a four-star recruit in the 2025 class and saw action in three games as a true freshman before entering the portal.
Colorado’s roster overhaul is especially noticeable at wide receiver, where the 2026 group is expected to look markedly different from the previous season. Among the most highly regarded incoming transfers at the position are former San Jose State standout Danny Scudero and former Miami (Ohio) wideout Kam Perry, both of whom are set to play key roles in reshaping the Buffaloes’ offense.
