Lane Kiffin, Manny Diaz Demand Commissioner To Fix Transfer Portal

Lane Kiffin and Manny Diaz urge college football to appoint a commissioner, citing transfer portal chaos and the need for stability in the sport.

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier talks with Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin before the start of the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 23, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The chaos of the modern college football landscape has reached a tipping point, and two of the game’s sharpest minds, Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin and Duke Blue Devils coach Manny Diaz, are calling for a fundamental overhaul.

Speaking during a “Fireside Chat” in Jacksonville ahead of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, both coaches echoed a growing sentiment among college football’s power players: the sport desperately needs a commissioner to stabilize an increasingly erratic system.

For Kiffin, the transfer portal and its midseason timing have turned the college calendar into a logistical nightmare.

“You would never create a system in professional sports that has things figured out that would have free agency right at the end of the regular season before the postseason,” he said, highlighting the unique dysfunction of college football’s current structure.

The December transfer portal window, which opened just days after the regular season ended, left programs scrambling as players opted out of bowl games and shifted allegiances.

Diaz’s Blue Devils were among the hardest hit.

Within days of their bowl matchup being announced, the team lost its top two quarterbacks and leading rusher to the portal, leaving them to rely on an unproven Henry Belin IV under center.

The Rebels, meanwhile, remained relatively intact, buoyed by veteran quarterback Jaxson Dart, who chose to stay for one final game before entering the NFL draft.

Still, Kiffin sympathized with Diaz’s plight, calling the situation “wild” and “all over the place.”

The timing of the portal, both coaches argued, is an issue that demands immediate attention.

Diaz suggested eliminating spring football altogether and instead adopting an NFL-style offseason structure with OTAs and minicamps.

“If we can take away the incentive to move mid-term, we can finish the season,” Diaz said, referencing the current rush for players to transfer before the spring semester begins at their new schools.

Both Kiffin and Diaz see a single authoritative figure—a commissioner—as the only viable solution to bring order to the madness.

Diaz lamented the fractured nature of decision-making, where conference commissioners and the NCAA appear unwilling to work together.

“If everyone wants to get in the sandbox and play nice, that would be the best thing,” he said. “Right now, no one is showing that they're willing to let somebody create consensus.”

For Kiffin, the ideal candidate for the role is clear: Nick Saban.

The former Alabama coach, revered for his old-school approach, could be the steady hand college football desperately needs.

“There couldn’t be a better person,” Kiffin said, adding that Saban’s genuine care for the game and its players makes him a natural fit.

However, the suggestion of Saban as commissioner raises questions about priorities.

While Saban’s track record as a leader and organizer is unquestioned, his focus has often leaned toward ensuring structure and convenience for coaches rather than placing players’ needs at the forefront.

The current chaos, from opt-outs to mid-season transfers, is rooted in players exercising their newfound autonomy—a freedom that college athletes fought for after decades of being excluded from the economic benefits of the sport.

Any potential commissioner, including Saban, would need to ensure that stability doesn’t come at the cost of players’ rights or opportunities.

The challenge lies in balancing the demands of coaches with what’s truly best for the athletes themselves.

As the Gator Bowl kicks off, Kiffin and Diaz’s teams will take the field under the shadow of an unsettled college football landscape, but their unified call for a commissioner underscores a shared hope that the sport can find its way back to stability.

Whether that vision becomes a reality remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the current system is unsustainable, and voices like Kiffin’s and Diaz’s are becoming impossible to ignore.