What did life as a college basketball coach look like before the transfer portal? For one, they had a more stable roster, didn’t have to worry as much about transfers, and the most demanding off-court responsibility was usually recruiting high school players. Right now, the dynamics have shifted completely, as Dan Hurley pointed out.

Speaking on The Dan Patrick Show, Hurley was asked whether coaching is now the least stressful part of the job, and he didn’t hold back. “This is terrible right now, what’s going on?” he said. And with that, he was referring to the transfer portal and all the extra responsibility and uncertainty it has brought along. The risk of losing players is always there, but having to coach through a full season and then immediately dive into everything the portal and recruitment now require can be overwhelming.

“A coaching staff that did the six-month season, and now you have to run recruiting, put the roster together, talk to the agents, I mean, it’s a lot.” There are now over 2,000 players in the transfer portal. A program like Kim Caldwell’s Tennessee has even lost all its players to the portal. It would be difficult to even imagine the kind of challenge she would be going through now to put together a competitive team for next season.

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As Hurley explained, college programs now essentially need a front office to handle all of this added workload. And with everything that goes into managing a team today, recruitment, roster construction, NIL conversations, college programs may as well start operating like the NBA or other professional sports organizations.

For Dan Hurley, however, not everything has been negative, especially when it comes to NIL. “It’s not terrible in the sense of the NIL, I think the NIL is awesome,” he said. According to him, UConn players earned significant money this season. However, it didn’t affect their commitment level, contrary to what many have argued about NIL. If anything, he believes their focus and dedication remained at the highest level throughout.

But without a doubt, the current transfer portal system still has areas that need improvement. And the good news, of course, is that the NCAA is taking steps towards that. Hopefully, they come up with a system that favors the players, the league, and the coaches soon enough. Or maybe, they just go full-blown pro.

How Dan Hurley Is Approaching Recruiting Amid UConn High Turnover

After a relatively successful season that saw them reach the NCAA Championship Game, UConn now faces a significant roster overhaul. Several key pillars from the team have exhausted their eligibility and/or are expected to depart for professional opportunities. Specifically, Alex Karaban, Tarris Reed Jr., Dwayne Koroma, and Alec Millender have all exhausted their eligibility. Meanwhile, Braylon Mullins, Liam McNeeley, and Jaylin Stewart are most likely entering the draft.

Amidst all these, Dan Hurley has already been making efforts to secure high-level talent to reload ahead of next season. Hurley has already signed two consensus four-star recruits, 6-foot-6 small forward Colben Landrew and 6-foot-4 combo guard Junior County. While the transfer portal is currently active, players like Silas Demary Jr., Solo Ball, Jayden Ross, Eric Reibe, and Jacob Furphy are also likely to remain with the team next season.

Dan Hurley, of course, will still be looking to get more reinforcements. In fact, the program is currently in active contact with several high-major transfers to fill remaining scholarship spots. Hurley will also be looking into the transfer portal.