3 quarterbacks are transferring again. And again. And again….

This national sympathy fest for Florida State is broken up to reveal that another quarterback has accessed the transfer site.

Furthermore, we’re not simply discussing any quarterback. He was formerly an exceptional candidate and had committed to one Power Five program before switching to another. Now, he is aiming for even greater things.

Cameron Ward of Washington State or Dante Moore of UCLA might both fit that description. Not important. Both of them are prepared to enter the magical gate and be pulled in and churned out.

Or how about the big arm who has already passed for thousands and thousands of yards for several different schools, but has chosen to stay on and gather yet another framed jersey to display in his parents’ den because the pandemic year now permits guys to attend college until they become eligible for Social Security?

Speaking with you, Tyler Shough (previously Texas Tech and Oregon), Dillon Gabriel (Oklahoma by way of Central Florida), or even Max Johnson (first LSU, then Texas A&M, and now North Carolina).

Then there are the seasoned veterans with accolades. Despite winning rookie of the year in his conference in 2022, E.J. Warner has announced his intention to depart Temple. In addition to leading Kansas State to the Sugar Bowl and the Big 12 title in 2022, Will Howard has also registered on the site. Additionally, weeks before his 11-1 Ohio State Buckeyes team played in the Cotton Bowl, Kyle McCord declared his plan to quit.

While McCord’s move gives Missouri alumni a brief moment to deceive themselves into thinking that he’s simply avoiding the Tigers game on December 29 (yes, regrettably, this was a real thought that occurred to me), the reality is that McCord and all the other quarterbacks who have never settled down are just making use of the transfer portal for what it is: The disorganized and irrational version of free agency in college football

The gateway is what occurs when a sport consumes psychedelics for 29 days in a row and goes a little crazy. There are certainly enlightening instances when newly freed college players take advantage of their basic freedom to relocate as freely as a head coach might when lured by a new multimillion-dollar contract. But as soon as the side effects set in, everyone begins to lose all impulse control—from analysts to fans to boosters—and begins to have hallucinations about who is going where.

The portal gives players new chances and greater money, naturally. It worked for three 2023 finalists as well as Caleb Williams, the Heisman Trophy winner from last year who moved from Oklahoma to Southern California. (Bo Nix moved from Auburn to Oregon, cc. left Indiana for Washington, and Jayden Daniels transferred from Arizona State to LSU.) It lets a player follow the coach of his choosing or simply go after what they think is a better opportunity. And the free market starts even when schools are still in session and bowl games are still being played. Don’t laugh, though, because the NCAA still prefers to refer to players as “student-athletes.”

Additionally, December is the trippiest month for college recruiting in terms of name, image, and likeness collectives. It’s acceptable if one top recruit doesn’t work out. There’s always another one in the gateway at the correct price.

Power is symbolized by the doorway. And mayhem, too. It’s freeing, but it also requires clear limits. It is the worst development for the game, which is trying to strike a balance between fairness and common sense, and the best thing that has happened to college athletes.

The number of outstanding quarterbacks accessing the site on Monday was the only factor strong enough to divert enraged supporters from berating the selection committee for leaving unbeaten Florida State out of the four-team College Football Playoff. You’re not the only one who has lost count. On the first day the portal was up, about 1,200 players declared their plans to transfer, according to ESPN. Compared to a year earlier, there has been a rise of almost 400 players.

The quarterbacks already mentioned were among the players in motion, along with a few surprises like Riley Leonard of Duke, who apparently has a visit scheduled at Notre Dame.  Coastal Carolina may have his sights set on North Carolina State. Additionally, transfer veteran DJ Uiagalelei declared last week that he would be leaving Oregon State to either find a third collegiate university in three years or enter the NFL draft.

As of right now, Cam Rising of Utah appears to be a one-man transfer stimulus package or the most devoted quarterback in the history of the sport—he’s returning for a seventh (!) season. The guys at Utah who are supporting Rising—Bryson Barnes and Nate Johnson—decided to open the portal since he won’t stop playing.

It’s possible that more quarterbacks will be available than starting positions by the end of the transfer portal’s formal launch week. However, that won’t stop players from exploring the market, causing the rest of us to focus far too much on it and wonder if the essence of college football is under jeopardy.

Even the most passionate college football fan may find the site to be problematic. The game is a crazy grab-bag of charm; merely watching an adolescent place a ball cap on his head piques your curiosity and desire. Year after year, we gobble up this dramatization happily. However, when money controls everything in what was originally presented to the public as an amateur and pure sport, the oddity veers into slimy area. It’s not today, and it never was then. We are forced to attempt to make sense of everything when the portal combines the allure and the confusion. However, given how preoccupied we are with keeping tabs on the current iteration of the transfer site, how can we find perspective and make sense of it?