The Honey Badger Does Not Like the Transfer Portal, But How Well Is It Helping UCF?

NFL star safety Tyrann Mathieu does not like what the NCAA has done with the Transfer Portal. As for UCF, there could be good reasons to disagree with the “Honey Badger’s” comments.

Brian Smith | Mar 11, 2022

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UCF Knights

(Cover Photo - Auburn Transfer Lee Hunter, now a likely starting defensive tackle for UCF)

To each their own. Tough political decisions happen at more locations than Capital Hill and the White House. The NCAA and the realm of college football see many political decisions that are questioned, too. Take the thoughts of Tyrann Mathieu as an example, as the former LSU and current NFL star has his own thought process about the current situation with the Transfer Portal.

I hate the transfer portal…. I sat behind Pat P.. Mo Claiborne…. And I loved it. Made me hustle harder…. Work harder…. Push me to greatness….
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) January 27, 2022

To be specific, Mathieu’s comment about competing is interesting. “I sat behind Pat P.. Mo Claiborne…”

The Honey Badger, as Mathieu is often called, has an interesting point that every college program could probably engage in some interesting conversation. Is the Transfer Portal helping or hurting our program to this point?

While the Honey Badger’s comments were already discussed at length on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation site The Grove Report, this article is going to be more open and ask UCF fans how the Transfer Portal is impacting UCF differently from a recruiting perspective, now and in the future? The article from The Grove Report created the idea for this article.

To Read the full article from The Grove Report regarding Mathieu, you will find it here.

With the word “different” in mind as to how UCF recruits compared to many Power Five programs, think about the following question first as a UCF fan from a rather general perspective. Then, it will be time to look at more specific questions that are a little bit harder to come to a conclusion.

Question for UCF Football fans: Do you like the direction the UCF Football program is taking with the Transfer Portal in relation to helping the program for the long haul? #UCF #ChargeOn
— Inside The Knights (@UCF_FanNation) March 11, 2022

Here are a few of the prime concerns about the Transfer Portal, to this point, from what many scouts, high school, and college coaches have said in private. It’s an ongoing discussion piece that’s quite touchy.

Do we really know what we are getting from a transfer? Why is he leaving so quickly from his original school?
How many high school coaches will be ticked off about a program taking a bunch of players from the Transfer Portal? In short, does bypassing on signing a talented high school player to sign a transfer put us in jeopardy with an even more talented player down the road, from that same high school program?

It’s very early in the Transfer Portal era. Things will change. More legislation will almost assuredly take place where how and when a player can transfer comes into play for coaches and players. All of that stated, UCF has definitely done very, very well with transfers to date.

UCF already has nine transfers lined up for the 2022 roster and there are more on the way barring something unforeseen. Last year, double digits from the Transfer Portal came to Orlando.

Will that work long-term or will the Knights need to adjust in some way?

What do UCF fans believe? Should UCF continue to hammer the Transfer Portal or concentrate more on the high school ranks?

Feel free to respond to the tweet above with a response. There’s no definitive answer as of March of 2022. It’s just too early. Anyone’s opinion is welcome.

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