The transfer portal has been met with concern and criticism since its inception in October of 2018, bemoaned by coaches, fans, media and administrators alike as a legalized free agency that would forever alter college athletics for the worse. While not a monolith, plenty of those around football weren’t immune to the talking points.

“We’re all a farm league,” Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi said in February of 2019. “Everybody is kind of picking and choosing from the portal. Now everything get…