HOUSTON — Houston running back Alton McCaskill, the AAC Rookie of the Year in 2021, surprised the Cougars faithful by entering the NCAA transfer portal on Tuesday evening.
Just minutes after McCaskill's announcement, predictions poured in stating he was joining Deion Sanders at Colorado - and fuel was added to the fire when a follow up report regarding a pair of Houston offensive linemen, Cam'Ron Johnson and Trevonte Sylvester, came out indicating both players plan to visit Colorado this weekend.
Sanders has seen over 50 players enter the transfer portal since he took over for the 1-11 Buffs, and he has not been shy about his willingness to push players out while he rebuilds, using an analogy with the media about buying a new house and replacing the furniture - which has rubbed many, including Locked on Coogs host Parker Ainsworth, the wrong way.
"These kids aren't furniture dude," Ainsworth said. "These are human beings, they are kids you signed up to take care of. I'm not saying you have to play them, I'm not saying you have to lie to them or be dishonest with how you treat them or talk to them about playing time. But you signed up to shepherd this program as it was."
The transfer portal era has created situations where roster churn is inevitable, and a brash new coach taking over a struggling program and not being shy about his thoughts on the current roster shouldn't be too surprising.
Negative press surrounding this new era of college athletics generally focuses on student-athletes, who many feel are too eager to jump ship rather than waiting and developing at their original school.
However, coaches who are pushing players out into the portal without much (or any) guidance is a common occurrence, and one that is leaving a lot of student-athletes without much help as they try to figure out next steps in their careers.
Whether McCaskill, Johnson, or Sylvester end up at Colorado remains to be seen, but regardless it creates a situation Houston now needs to address themselves, potentially by pursuing any of the 50+ Buffs now needing a new home for the 2023 season.