Manning, Schwab hoping for change in NIL, Transfer Portal era

Editor’s Note: This article appeared in WIN’s Volume 31 Issue 9, which was published on June 5, 2025. Click here to view WIN’s subscription options (Print/Digital/Combo). Photo courtesy of Husker Athletics. 

By Bryan Van Kley

I thought readers would enjoy Coach of the Year winner Doug Schwab and Impact winner Mark Manning’s thoughts on this unprecedented college-sports era of NIL and the NCAA Transfer Portal.

“I’ll be clear to the NCAA; they’ve messed this thing up. Pro sports have more rules than college sports do. It’s crazy. The Transfer Portal is just free agency. I think the NCAA has just thrown their hands up to it all. They just want to make their money and end the lawsuits,” Schwab said.

Manning was equally frustrated and is hoping for sweeping changes soon. He’s calling for limits on NIL and the Transfer Portal, and he said teams should get penalized scholarships for “tampering” with wrestlers not in the portal.

“We need high-level people who are making these decisions about college athletics to put guardrails around the Transfer Portal. Being able to transfer two or three times is unimaginable. It’s groundwork for how you’re going to parent and navigate your workplace someday. What kind of allegiance is that? What are we teaching them about life? When something doesn’t go right, I’m just going to leave?

“We need guardrails around the NIL so that someone can’t spend $5 million while another school spends $3,000. Even in the Big Ten, I’ve heard of schools cutting back scholarships. They don’t have a donor base to support wrestling. You can’t have Ohio State spending $32 million in football in one year, and another school spending $5 million. Ohio State should win 99 percent of the time. That is creating a ‘win-at-all-costs’ system.”

The Nebraska coach said it’s also happening in wrestling.

“Programs are buying teams. You can’t have one school having 20 scholarships and another having five and compete in the same league and division. It’s all about if you have a big donor. If you don’t have one, it’s tough to be a Top-20 or Top-10 team.”

Schwab said his approach to keep from getting “sour” about college sports is to remind himself of the main reason coaches should be in the profession in the first place. “What makes me still feel good is taking care of our athletes and doing what puts them in a better place when they leave here,” he said.

The Panther head man and his staff do research on recruits to find out if they really love the sport. He stressed they look for kids who do, and who are coachable and will be good teammates.

“I think it’s been very clear that we get guys to believe in something bigger than themselves. Are they going to be coachable and selfless or greedy?”

Getting those types of recruits and then committing to them both short term and long term has been the centerpiece of the Panther culture. Schwab said making sure wrestlers know their program is committed to them has been key to retention and not losing guys to the portal.

“I believe if you’re cared for, you’re moving forward. And, if you’re in a good place and you’re growing, why would you want to leave?”

Manning echoed Schwab’s comments and said some in college sports have moved away from development.

“There are three types of programs in wrestling. One is a program that’s just buying one-year assassins. Then, there’s programs that just want the ‘next best thing.’ You might have an All-American, but you bring in someone better. The third type of program, which is where I’d put us, is development. We call ourselves ‘Development U.’ I would want my son to go to a school which is going to help him develop to win a conference title and wrestle at the NCAA tournament.”

Manning is urging the NCAA to help bring back integrity to college sports.

“We can’t lose the integrity of our sport. We have to rethink what our sport is about. It’s not just about winning. It’s about winning the right way and preparing these kids the right way for life,” he said. “I’m all about NIL. I understand the concept. But if we really want the good of the whole sport, from the East Coast to the West Coast, we need to make sure we don’t ruin this so we have 30 programs in Division I.”

(Bryan Van Kley can be reached at Bryan@WIN-magazine.com.)