Grambling State head coach Mickey Joseph has extensive experience at the FCS and FBS level, and he’s made it plain the specific change that he would like to see in the NIL and transfer portal era of athletics. In comments to media capture by KTVE, Joseph spoke about his thoughts on losing student athletes to the transfer portal. “We understand. I think the kids understand if they’re here and they’re sophomores and they have a big year and a Group of Five or Power Five approaches them and they have the finances to pull them out of there and I can’t match the finances — then you know what — they’re gonna go. That’s part of it. Coaches been doing it for years. So we shouldn’t get mad as coaches when these kids make decisions to take care of their family. I’m going to say it again — coaches’ been doing it for years.” Grambling State head coach Mickey Joseph says there should be buyouts when players transfer up to bigger programs: “There needs to be a buyout. If they move up from me and go G5 or P4, I should get compensation for that.”pic.twitter.com/UrAWGDNza1 — Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 3, 2025 He then introduced his thought process on the introduction of contract buyouts for student athletes that transfer, specifically those that move up to the FBS to Power Five or Group of Five conferences. “But I also think there needs to be a buyout. If they move up from me and go up to a Group of Five/Power Five, I should get kind of a compensation for that. So NCAA, if you’re listening to me — I need a buyout.” Mickey Joseph’s reference to a contract buyout draws parallels to transfer fees in European soccer. In both cases, financial compensation is provided when a player leaves a team or club before their contract expires. A buyout typically covers the remaining contract value, while a transfer fee compensates the selling club for a player’s services and potential future value. This concept resonates with what some envision for college athletics, particularly football. A system similar to European soccer’s transfer fees could ensure smaller programs are fairly compensated when larger, wealthier programs acquire their players. The players get to play at a higher level while the loss of the talent to the FCS program is offset by the money that the institution gained from the transaction. Northern Illinois athletic director Sean Frazier echoed the same sentiments in January at the NCAA Convention in comments obtained by the Associated Press. “At the end of the day, the kid deserves the compensation and support,” Frazier said in an interview with The Associated Press at the NCAA convention this week. “But the institution, to keep the cycle going, they deserve something as well. We’re not in the situation to continue to do that if we keep losing our best and brightest.” Joseph and Frazier’s idea would certainly be an interesting wrinkle to the college athletics system and would possibly change the dynamics of the practice in general.