Caitlin Clark let her be on her guardwho shares a hot take on Travis and Jason Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast on Thursday.
Clark specifically spoke out against the frequency with which athletes use the college transfer portal in football.
“Where college recruiting has gone is crazy,” Clark said.
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She agreed with Travis the NCAA should return to the previous rules that players who transfer from school to school must wait a full year before they can play for a new school. However, Clark said exceptions should be made for athletes on teams that lose a head coach.
“I agree,” Clark said when Travis talked about bringing back the old system. ‘Or you get a free pass when your coach leaves. … But now we have people who are in their seventh year at their fourth school. It just becomes blatant.”
Travis Kelce and Caitlin Clark. (Image)
Players have been transferring at historic rates in recent years after the transfer portal was introduced in October 2018. Before the introduction of the transfer portal, athletes required permission from their coaches or athletic directors, and these requests were often denied.
The transfer portal became even more widely used following the legalization of NIL deals by universities as recruiting incentives in 2021. From 1906 until the summer of 2021, players were prohibited from profiting in any way from their college athletic careers.
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Now, NIL is often a top factor for many athletes when choosing a school.
“It’s crazy. … Adam Schefter says, ‘Yeah, they negotiated a new deal for him to stay at the university,’ and I say, ‘Yeah, where else is he going to go?'” Clark said.
In 2023, the NCAA attempted to tighten its restrictions by implementing a new rule that allowed underclassmen to transfer only once without sitting out a year. But for an additional transfer as a student, the NCAA had to grant a waiver that allowed the athlete to compete immediately.
Iowa players, including guard Caitlin Clark, center forward; forward Hannah Stuelke, front left; and guard Kate Martin, 20, celebrate after an Elite Eight game of the NCAA tournament against Louisville on March 26, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Caean Couto)
But the rule caused so much controversy that the NCAA was forced to release a statement condemning “violent – and possibly criminal – threats against committee members” over the rule. The NCAA ultimately abandoned the rule in March 2024 in response to a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Education, the District of Columbia and ten states.
Athletes are now freer and more motivated than ever to make the switch. Clark never abused this system.
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She spent her entire four-year NCAA women’s basketball career at Iowa. She said Kelces college sports have lost a sense of amateurism that separated them from professional sports.
“It’s kind of sad. You’ve lost some of that amateurism of college sports, and that’s why it’s so fun,” Clark said. “It’s basically minor league football now.”
Travis agreed with Clark.
Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark reacts during an interview during the WNBA draft on April 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
‘I’m too old-fashioned. I didn’t get a chance to transfer,” Travis said.
Travis spent four years at the University of Cincinnati from 2009 to 2012, but played only three football seasons after being suspended during his sophomore season in 2010 for marijuana use.
Jason, who played his entire college career at Cincinnati as a walk-on running back who converted to the offensive line, criticized players who left before the playoffs.
“I don’t think people should leave before the playoffs. I think they should figure that out. I think there has to be a level of commitment from the college player that isn’t there right now,” he said. .
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