Sam Pittman offers insight into tampering debate around college football
By Keith Farner
Published:
As the transfer portal and one-time transfers become a way of life around college football, coaches are adapting to the changing nature of relating to players.
That includes building a relationship with players down the depth chart who may be most likely to look for a change of scenery and consider another program. ESPN’s Alex Scarborough discussed the issue with several coaches, including Arkansas’ Sam Pittman.
“If losing a starter bothers you more than losing someone who hasn’t played much, you’re being pretty selfish,” he said. “I think it’s easy to say that someone tampered if you lose somebody, but in all honesty, we have to look at ourselves and internally in our program to say, ‘Have we done all the things? Have we been honest and true? Have we built a relationship with us where he won’t want to leave us?'”
A good reminder if that the transfer portal is often a two-way street. Arkansas has seen both ways it can go. The Hogs got a productive quarterback in Feleipe Franks, but recently lost second-leading receiver, Mike Woods, who entered the transfer portal and committed to Oklahoma.
It’s tempting to get mad or frustrated when a player leaves. But then again, as Pittman said, “If you turn it around, you’re going to go get someone from the portal, too.”
Tampering is one of those issues that has arguably been a part of college sports for decades. And as an unnamed SEC head coach said, not only is tampering happening, “it happens most of the time.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
