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Morning Edition

January 15, 2026

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The college football transfer portal has been the subject of many complaints over the years. But the issue may be overstated. NCAA president Charlie Baker said this week that entry into the FBS transfer portal is down 23% from last year. The figure comes despite big-time programs like Ohio State seeing 33 players on its roster head to the portal.

— Griffin Senyek [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], and Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]

College Football Transfers Down 23% After Schools Started Paying Players [[link removed]]

The Clarion-Ledger

Despite increased complaints [[link removed]] from fans about the NCAA needing to implement transfer restrictions, the issue may not be as bad as perceived.

NCAA president Charlie Baker spoke with reporters Tuesday night at the NCAA convention and said that entry into the FBS transfer portal [[link removed]] is down 23% from last year. The figure comes despite numerous big-time programs like Ohio State (33), Oklahoma (28), and Texas (24) having seen a high number of transfers this month.

On3 [[link removed]] reports that the number of FBS portal entrants last cycle was 4,201, the most ever since the portal’s creation in 2018. For comparison, this year the portal reportedly has just over 3,000 entrants. Assuming more players enter the portal before the window closes on Jan. 16, Baker’s number appears to be accurate.

Baker attributed the decline primarily to the House v. NCAA settlement agreement [[link removed]]; schools are now able to directly negotiate with their players and as a result, have had more success retaining them. This has been the case for high-profile players [[link removed]] like Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood [[link removed]], South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers [[link removed]], and Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy, who were all rumored to be considering entering the portal.

The transfer portal has also drawn added attention because of its timing, with the Jan. 2–16 window directly overlapping with the College Football Playoff.

In a press conference before the Peach Bowl, Indiana [[link removed]] head coach Curt Cignetti said “[his] Oregon prep got cut a little bit short” due to having 13 transfer portal players visiting campus that day. The Ducks were also affected by the portal, having to convert a pair of defensive players to running back because of two players transferring and being unavailable for the game.

The transfer portal will remain a talking point as long as thousands of players enter it each season. That said, with schools now better able to pay and retain their star talent, it appears the portal may have reached its max number of entrants.

SPONSORED BY SHEPPARD PRATT

Mental Health in Modern Sports

As the conversation around athlete wellness expands beyond physical performance, mental health has emerged as one of the most urgent and transformative topics in sports and business.

On Feb. 7—just one day before the Big Game—Future of Sports: The Mental Edge, presented by Sheppard Pratt [[link removed]], will convene leaders from across sports, media, and mental health for brunch to explore how organizations can prioritize mental well-being—from the locker room to the boardroom.

Through thought-provoking panels and intimate dialogue, the program [[link removed]] will unpack the evolving dynamics of mental health in professional sports, the growing role of corporate and philanthropic leadership, and how high-profile moments are enhancing mental health conversations on and off the field.

Interested in joining? Request to attend now [[link removed]].

Texans-Steelers Blowout Drew 29.1M Viewers for ESPN [[link removed]]

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

ESPN posted a strong number for its Monday-night NFL wild-card game between the Texans and Steelers. Whether that’s the last playoff game the Disney-owned outlet airs in that slot, however, remains to be seen.

The network said Wednesday it averaged 29.1 million viewers for the Houston-Pittsburgh game, a 30–6 blowout win for the Texans. The audience figure, including other Disney properties such as ABC, is up 15% from a Vikings-Rams game last year that averaged 25.4 million viewers in that time slot—though there are some difficult factors on both sides of the comparison.

Neither Monday-night wild-card game was competitive, with the Rams and Texans each racing out to big second-half leads. The Minnesota–Los Angeles game was also shifted to Arizona due to last year’s Southern California wildfires. The Texans-Steelers game peaked at an average of 33 million viewers just before halftime, suggesting an even higher number would have been possible with a closer score.

The latest NFL viewership figure is also an emphatic coda to what otherwise was a weekend of historic viewership for the prior five wild-card games [[link removed]]. Each of the other four involved networks recorded a series of milestones for their broadcasts, most notably Amazon, which set a new league streaming record for its exclusive coverage of the Packers-Bears game on Saturday night, averaging 31.6 million viewers.

The Texans-Steelers game, tied for the second-best wild-card viewership in ESPN history, was also the final game in Pittsburgh for longtime coach Mike Tomlin, who left the franchise Tuesday after 19 seasons [[link removed]]—none of them with a losing record.

Contract Matters

That Houston-Pittsburgh contest could also be the final Monday-night wild-card broadcast on ESPN. As the league prepares to reopen most of its domestic media agreements [[link removed]] this year, a separate, five-year term between ESPN and the NFL for those Monday-night wild-card games has now expired. Disney, which owns ESPN, is interested in extending it, as the slot fits right into its existing Monday Night Football rights—a package that enjoyed a banner regular season [[link removed]].

ESPN posted its second-best season in 20 years airing MNF, and it averaged 16.5 million viewers when including all of its 23 NFL games, up 10% from last year.

There will be competition, though, for the rights to that Monday-night wild-card slot.

The NFL playoffs resume on Saturday and Sunday with the divisional playoff round, with the remaining teams going in with varying levels of rest [[link removed]] after the wild-card games.

Rich Paul Pitches NBA Trades on Podcast: ‘Insane’ [[link removed]]

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Rich Paul is wading into unprecedented territory by publicly suggesting trades that impact his clients and the teams they play on.

The Klutch Sports CEO and longtime NBA agent suggested that the Lakers should trade Austin Reaves for Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. on a recent episode of his podcast [[link removed]], Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul, which was released Monday by The Ringer.

“If you’re building around Luka [Dončić] [[link removed]] going forward, which they are, you need that anchor,” Paul said. “And Jaren doesn’t want to be a part of a rebuild.”

Reaves is repped by Aaron Reilly and Reggie Berry of AMR Agency, while Jackson is a CAA client; Paul has a vested interest in what happens with the Lakers because of his famous client LeBron James.

Reaves is making roughly $14 million in the third year of a four-year, $53 million deal he signed in 2023. He is expected to opt out of the player option in his contract this summer and become an unrestricted free agent, where he could fetch a max contract for five years and $241 million.

Jackson is in the final year of a four-year rookie extension worth $105 million that he signed in 2021, and it pays $35 million this season. Next year, he begins a five-year supermax contract worth $205 million. The 26-year-old has had an underwhelming season with his scoring average down roughly four points from last year. The two players could not be traded for each other without the Lakers adding more salary in a deal.

“ Memphis would definitely pay Austin [[link removed]],” Paul said on the episode. “He would become, probably, their point guard and leading scorer, for sure. But definitely their highest-paid player.”

Spokespeople for the NBA, NBPA, and The Ringer all did not immediately respond to a request to comment. Reilly did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It’s not the first time Paul has publicly played GM. In December [[link removed]], as speculation ran rampant over Giannis Antetokounmpo possibly asking out of Milwaukee, Paul said the Bucks should demand rising Hawks star Jalen Johnson in return. Johnson is a client of Paul’s, and the agent admitted Johnson wouldn’t want to play in his hometown of Milwaukee.

NBA agents tend to operate in the shadows and only see their names crop up publicly when a league insider is tweeting about the latest contract they earned for their client.

The NBPA has guidelines for registered agents, though it’s not clear if any of them apply to Paul’s comments. In the NBPA’s guideline book [[link removed]], Regulation 8 states an agent could be disciplined for “Engaging in any other activity which creates an actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest with the effective representation of Players; provided, however, that this provision does not prohibit an Agent from representing two or more Players on any one Team.”

One team executive told Front Office Sports that he found Paul’s comments “insane and fucked up.”

But the executive added there isn’t much a team can do about it aside from asking Paul to not include them in his hypothetical trades.

James quickly distanced himself from Paul’s comments after the Lakers’ 141–116 win over the Hawks on Tuesday. During the game, Reaves’s agent Berry approached Paul and talked to him about his comments, according to ESPN [[link removed]].

“I think you all know by now, Rich is his own man and what Rich says is not a direct reflection of me and how I feel,” James told ESPN after the game. “I hope people know that and if they’re not sensible to know that, then I don’t know what to tell them.”

“AR knows how I feel about him,” James added. “All you got to do is look at us on the bench. Me and AR talk every single day. So, AR knows how I feel about him and I hope AR—or his camp—don’t look at me and think this is words from me are coming through Rich.”

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Breakfast Ball Heads to San Francisco

Breakfast Ball [[link removed]] is back for its second edition—and this year, we’re headed to the Bay Area.

Breakfast Ball 2026 will be hosted by San Francisco legends and NFL Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. Featuring both a celebrity pro-am and hospitality space, this event will be the ideal weekend kickoff leading up to the Big Game.

In partnership with Excel Sports Management, last year’s inaugural event brought together athletes, executives, celebrities, and creators in New Orleans. Now, we’re taking things to the next level with an unforgettable day at the iconic TPC Harding Park Golf Course on Friday, Feb. 6.

Request to attend [[link removed]] for a chance to join.

Editors’ Picks LIV Golf Envisions $1B Franchises, but Not Ready to Sell Ownership Stakes [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]There are 13 four-player LIV Golf teams. Dante Moore Chooses NIL Over NFL [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The Oregon QB was viewed as potential New York Jet. NWSL Union Files Grievance Over League’s ‘Rodman Rule’ for Star Players [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The NWSLPA says the league “never negotiated” the workaround with the union. Question of the Day

Do you think the transfer portal is ruining college football?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Wednesday’s result: Only 13% of respondents said they’d watch the NBA’s planned European league.

Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Games [[link removed]] Show [[link removed]] Shop [[link removed]] Written by Griffin Senyek [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Alex Schiffer [[link removed]] Edited by Lisa Scherzer [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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