Beneath the sheen that layers college football is a dark reality. The sport is almost synonymous with inequality. The advent of NIL and the transfer portal has only made the discrepancy more prominent. Players have almost free will to leave programs, leaving them stranded. Add to that, schools towards the top of the food chain can essentially lure talent away from proverbial bottom-feeders using NIL arsenals. Talent which was nurtured and developed by them, but shall prosper for the already prosperous. Jim Mora, head coach of the UConn Huskies, allowed his pent-up frustration to boil over.

The Huskies have been on the wrong side of this inequality and Mora’s calling for action. He took to his X account to sound a warning to the powers that be. His post doubled as a beacon for another coach in the same boat. One that proclaims to have retired because of the portal.

“A simple note to the schools and coaches that have blatantly broken @NCAAFootball rules by tampering with our players in the last 24 hours,” wrote Jim Mora. “We do know who you are, we will pursue all avenues to hold you accountable.  We are excited that we’ve built a program where coaches have to cheat to beat us and we will protect that program. Think hard before you tamper with our players.  #justgettingstarted” 

Expressing his disdain in the comments section of this resounding post was one James Sutrick. “I retired last year because of the transfer portal and the NCAA model of today. Zero accountability for coaches/Universities. SO excited to see you stand up for what’s right and good about this amazing business. Great job on your season, and good luck with getting this fixed.” he wrote. Sutrick worked as a D-line and linebackers coach at various schools, including Millersville and Houston Baptist.

Jim Mora coupled the post with a picture of a trophy. Mora and the Huskies won the Fenway Bowl over the weekend, beating the UNC Tar Heels 27-14. Owing to their Bowl participation, UConn players have until later this week to enter the portal. Jim Mora’s comments suggest that suitors aren’t waiting for that to transpire and are pursuing illegitimate tampering. Sutrick and Mora are just the latest wrinkles in the long lineage of coaches speaking out about this problem.

Jim Mora isn’t the first head coach to outwardly acknowledge this issue

If there’s a loophole to be exposed or an edge to gain, best believe CFB coaches and programs will go out of their way to do it. The cut-throat nature of the sport doesn’t afford people to stand on ceremony. Some of the biggest names in the coaching realm, including Nick Saban and Deion Sanders, have been accused of tampering in the past. People have been reprimanded as well, with former ASU assistant coach Antonio Pierce penalised over tampering a player dispositioned at a different school.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman recently said, “It’s a crazy world out there” in terms of tampering. Jake Dickert, formerly at WSU, also said, “There’s more tampering out there than you can ever imagine”. There’s a trend here. These programs haven’t been what you’ll call “elite” since the portal era commenced. This circles back to the initial prognosis.

The crux of the problem is that there is no streamlined adjudication of matters. There have been calls for a CFB commissioner figure among the coaches. The laws around the game remain rather fuzzy. Stringent penalisation and even “name-calling” are perhaps necessary in this current landscape. Fans of all persuasions will hope Jim Mora and James Sutrick’s words don’t fall on deaf ears.