re: The transfer portal might have saved college football

What you are describing makes sense to an extent. But by and large it seems like it usually works the other way just as much if not more - studs at small schools leave to a big name school to capitalize on better NIL exposure/money.

I have no evidence to back the above point up. But it seems the days of a stud staying out at a small school for their career will become much more of a rarity