Comment from Tyler Nickel of Virginia Tech shows how quickly things pivot in the current state of college sports

Entering the ACC Tournament earlier this month, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team had a lot to play. If they were able to run the table with four wins in four days, something they did in 2022, they would earn the automatic NCAA Tournament berth, which was their only path to the 68-team field.

The Hokies stay in Washington, D.C. last just one game after they lost in the second round to Florida State, 86-76. Following the game, Mike Barber of the Richmond-Post Dispatch caught up with Nickel and this is what the North Carolina transfer had to say about the future in Blacksburg with the Virginia Tech program,

"I love the team here. I love the coaches. I love the atmosphere. I love the school. I love everything about it. It's unfortunate how things went down but, we're going to be back."

- Tyler Nickel

That was on March 13 and then 15 days later, he entered the transfer portal. My oh my, how things can change quickly.

Tyler Nickel had a quick change of heart, but why?

In this day and age, NIL is huge in college sports and each school has a different amount of money that is why likely a lot of players enter the transfer portal not once, but twice, and who knows, maybe a third time like Lynn Kidd. However, a gutting of a roster like what is going on in Blacksburg is something you very rarely see.

Nickel was a big piece of Virginia Tech this season off the bench, coming off the floor and spreading it his ability to shoot the 3-pointer. It fit what head coach Mike Young wanted to do with opening up the inside for Kidd and Mylyjael Poteat and it allowed Sean Pedulla more space to get downhill.

Nickel had a quick change of heart in just a couple of weeks and maybe he honestly did. It could have also been the fact that the rest of the teammates, Pedulla, Kidd, Poteat, and MJ Collins entered the transfer portal and he would have been the most experienced guy on the roster. Whatever the reason, Nickel's quote and his change of heart show just how quickly the landscape of college sports can change in this day and age.