"Should I be here or should I be there?": When Kirby Smart revealed the psychological pressure on student-athletes

Kirby Smart offered his view on how the trader portal brings uncertainty to the college football landscape in an interview with Josh Pate in March 2024. The Georgia coach has been around in the realm for nearly three decades and has seen a lot of change during his tenure.

In the interview, Smart explained the negative effects of the transfer portal on coaches and players. He stressed that the unchecked option of jumping ship every year has given many players psychological issues regarding their future.

“The issue is not knowing who's on your roster and who's not for long periods of time,” Kirby Smart said (9:46 onwards). “That's tough, that makes it hard to develop a team, to develop toughness, to develop a roster and to be honest with you, for the players to become the best players they can be.

“I can't tell you how many kids I've seen go through the psychological – the toughest thing for them is trying to figure out 'should I be here or should I be there,' and they're worried about that instead of worrying about where they are. Like (try) get better.

“You think about that all the time, that weighs on your ability to be a good student, to be a good person, to be a good football player because they always think the grass is greener on the other side."

The number of players entering the transfer portal has continued to grow every year. Players try to take their chances elsewhere in the chase of better financial packages. This has significantly increased the level of uncertainty in the landscape.

Kirby Smart voices out the demand of coaches regarding the transfer portal

Kirby Smart, like many other college football coaches, isn't calling for the extinction of the transfer portal. However, they want to have some certainty regarding their roster every year. This ensures better preparation and management for the coaches.

“They'd like to know who's on their roster and who's not,” Smart said (Timestamp 9:16). And if you could just know who's on your roster for that year, I think we could live with that. I think it's really hard going into a spring or an offseason program to go grind and you don't even know for sure who's going to be on your roster.

“If you could tell me I got this guy for 365 days and then that guy has an opportunity to go anywhere he wants to go and at the point every multiple times. I think every coach can live with that. That's not the complaint.”

The spring transfer portal is causing the biggest issue within the landscape. It comes after spring practice and spring games have been concluded. Players move away after being an integral part of the team in those periods, bringing uncertainty ahead of the fall camp.