College football has changed in the intervening two years Florida Alligators coach Billy Napier called him a “talent acquisition company”. It is no longer enough to acquire talent. It must also be preserved.
This industry shift is an underlying theme in this week’s two biggest stories: Conference Championship Weekend and the transfer portal window that opens on Monday. Few, if any, programs illustrate this as well as No. 4 Florida State.
Mike Norvell’s masterful use of the transfer portal was evident in Saturday’s victory in Florida when Trey Benson (Oregon) rushed for three touchdowns, Jared Verse (Albany) had two sacks on the final series and Johnny Wilson (Arizona State) was the leading receiver.
But FSU didn’t just acquire this talent. He kept it.
All three players could have left for the NFL Draft after last season. None did – a big reason why the undefeated Seminoles enter Saturday’s ACC Championship vs. No. 15 Louisville as playoff contenders.
Florida State star Trey Benson has deferred the NFL draft for another season with the Seminoles.
( JEAN RAOUX | P.A. )
“They chose to be here and they chose to be able to do this together,” Norvell said. “That’s what makes this team really special.”
There is no single key to keeping stars like Florida’s Trevor Etienne or USF’s Byrum Brown from testing the market or entering the portal. Some attrition is inevitable and healthy. There are, however, two general categories of considerations.
The first is the same as any other organization: how you treat people. There’s a reason two of Napier’s first tangible actions in Gainesville we improved player food and increased parking. None of these moves alone could fix a historically bad defense, but players recognized and appreciated these gestures. Happier players are less likely to leave, which is why Napier seemed confident about the stability of Florida’s roster when asked about it two weeks ago.
“The player experience here, I think, is second to none,” Napier said.
Florida coach Billy Napier and Florida State coach Mike Norvell both want to retain their best players.
( JEAN RAOUX | P.A. )
Player experience also manifests itself in smaller elements, like open communication.
If Seminoles offensive coordinator Alex Atkins is going to explain what players need to do to earn snaps, then he better have a plan ready in case they live up to their end of the deal. If players can’t or won’t do what is asked, then clear, pre-set expectations should eliminate surprises on either side.
“Whether we like it or not, the portal is real…” Atkins said this spring. “That will be part of it, but honesty is the best policy.”
USF coach Alex Golesh said talent retention is a product of the daily decisions and details that create a program. They all fuel the culture that determines whether players stay or leave.
“Do the guys like coming to work?” » said Golesh. “Do the guys like being with their teammates? This is your program – the retention part. Obviously, there are also a lot of things that come into play from an outside perspective.
USF football coach Alex Golesh said talent retention is a product of a program’s culture.
( JEFFEREE WOO | Times )
If “outside view” is a euphemism for “name, image and likeness” or “NIL“, Golesh then tiptoed towards the other major factor in talent retention.
Although it is difficult to establish reliable figures, Zero valuation of On3 gives us an idea of the annual value of players. For the FSU Jordan Travis and that of Washington Michael Penix Jr.that’s $1.2 million – about the same as the NFL salary of fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett. If a quarterback can have a shot at the Heisman Trophy and national title while earning about as much as a Rams rookie, the financial incentive to leave diminishes.
FSU and its name, image and collective likeness (The end of the battle) were among the first to maximize this part of the nascent industry. While other collectives focused on new players (talent acquisition), The Battle’s End and its CEO Ingram Smith saw what he calls “market inefficiency” in focusing on existing players (retention talents).
The Battle’s End is the name, image and likeness of the Florida State collective and this tailgating tent was set up hours before the Syracuse game.
( MAT BAKER | Tampa Bay Times )
Partnering with stars like Travis, Verse, Benson, and Wilson made business sense because fans (current/potential supporters of the collective) are more familiar with established players than, say, a four-star signee or mid-tier transfer . The feedback on the field is also better. Benson and Wilson can make an immediate impact in a way few freshmen can and with less risk than new portal players.
“It allows you to play faster and allows you to have more confidence because you have the experience,” Norvell said before the season. “In recent years, it’s been important for our program to be able to have that continuity.”
Because other schools saw how that continuity contributed to FSU’s 12-0 start, Smith said the market inefficiency has likely disappeared. The Winter Portal will tell us more when we see who gets in and who stays, but Smith cautioned against assuming that name, image and likeness are the sole driving force behind any decision.
“I think it kind of puts a magnifying glass on everything that’s out there,” Smith said. “If you have a very strong culture and great buy-in, then maybe NIL can be a great retention tool to keep some of those elements and build on what you already have.
“NIL can be part of your program’s climb, but if it’s the main part, I don’t think you’re going to climb for very long.”
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