Virginia Tech men's basketball mass exodus gets more bizarre by the day

The current state of college sports is like free agency in any professional sport. Yes, I get it, it's college sports in 2024 and it's even the future of college sports. It affects everyone in every sport. Even coaches. However, what has happened the last three days in Blacksburg, even for this current state of college sports, it's bizarre. Extremely bizarre if we're being honest.

Yes, players are going to come and players going to leave. That's what NIL is. In the last three days, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team has lost their top seven players from 2023-24. Robbie Beran and Hunter Cattoor are out of eligibility after the Hokies lost 81-73 last Saturday night at Ohio State in the second round of the NIT, but that's not the case for their five other teammates. Sean Pedulla, MJ Collins, Lynn Kidd, Mylyjael Poteat and Tyler Nickel each have entered the transfer portal with Kidd already finding a home for 2024-25 with ACC foe Miami.

Virginia Tech transfer portal defections very bizarre

I know that everyone is going to say this is the state of college sports and it's going to happen, but happen to this extent? There has to be more to it than NIL. Seriously, not many programs are gutted by the portal the way that Mike Young has been in the last three days.

Watching the team over the last month of the season, you could tell with the body language of some of the players that something wasn't right. Watch the postgame press conferences after the NIT victory over Richmond last week. It didn't look like they were excited about advancing to the second round. Just one person's opinion.

You can say the NIL has to do with this, but there is something to do with what's going on, but Connecticut coach Dan Hurley spoke Wednesday to the media in Boston ahead of their Sweet 16 game against San Diego State and had this to say about the transfer portal,

“I don’t think it’s healthy for players to change schools like underwear.”

I get the source of the quote, Hurley is someone who rubs people, well, a lot of people the wrong way, but he's correct with his assessment. It's not good. Virginia Tech is not going to be the last school that something like this happens to, but it seems bizarre that five players from the top seven who can return for one more season leave via the portal in just 48 hours. It's bizarre. You don't see it every year.