What If the Transfer Portal Existed During Rich Rodriguez's Best Teams?

Things could have been very different in the early 2000s for the Mountaineers.

Dec 1, 2007, Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back (10) Steve Slaton runs in the Mountaineers 13-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers at Mylan Puskar Stadium. Duhart recovered the fumble. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

So often, when West Virginia fans think back to Rich Rodriguez's first stint in Morgantown, memories of that dark night on December 1st in 2007 come to mind. It just won't go away, and understandably so. The Mountaineers shouldn't have lost that night and should have a national championship to their name.

But what if, just for a second, we think of the alternative? And by that, I mean, what if that season never happened?

The transfer portal was not a thing back then, nor was NIL. Hell, you couldn't even give a player cream cheese or butter to put on his bagel. I'm not even kidding. It used to be an NCAA violation. Now, they eat better than anyone and in some cases, are driving around cars that no 18-22-year-olds ever fathomed being able to have.

Are we so sure that Pat White, Steve Slaton, and the other star players who made up those Rich Rodriguez-led teams would have stayed put at West Virginia? Both loved their time at WVU and are, of course, massive supporters of the program to this day. I mean, White is a part of the coaching staff now, if that tells you how much the place means to him.

I assume both would have stayed, but there's a chance one of them wouldn't have. When you are at that age, and some other program comes to you and offers life-changing money, it's going to be extremely difficult to give them the cold shoulder, especially if WVU wasn't able to offer the same package.

Think of it like this — when NIL first came into play, West Virginia was in a difficult spot. They didn't have the resources in place to retain players and certainly didn't have the ability to land top-tier prospects out of the transfer portal. That combination is what led to arguably the worst six-year stretch in program history, setting the Frank Cignetti era aside.

Could you imagine what things could have been like if NIL and the transfer portal first came into play, say in 2006? You know, like right after WVU beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl? Oh, goodness. It could have been a disaster. There would have been programs hitting up Mountaineer players left and right that offseason, and it could have led to the special 2007 season never happening.

The other part is how the program could have really hit a rough patch following Rich Rodriguez's departure for Michigan. We see it all the time today. A coach leaves for a new job and takes half the team (and recruits) with him. Pat White only had one more year of eligibility left, so there's a good chance that he finishes out his career in a Mountaineer uniform, regardless, but the supporting cast around him could have been, well, not very supportive.

I know this topic can seem like I'm trying to be negative for no reason, but really, it's just the opposite. It's to take a different approach to that 2007 season and not remember it for what happened on December 1st. It will forever be remembered as one of the greatest seasons in Mountaineer football history, and it's one that hasn't been matched since. And now that we are in this portal/NIL era, who knows if and when it will happen again.

But what if it wasn't bad???

November 27, 2009; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back Noel Devine (7) carries the ball for a touchdown in the third quarter against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Milan Puskar Stadium. West Virginia defeated Pittsburgh 19-16. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images | James Lang-Imagn Images

There's also the possibility that WVU could have capitalized on that 2006 season and been a destination for guys in the transfer portal. Remember, West Virginia had become one of the most popular teams in college football because of how electrifying the offense was in real life and in the college football video games. Pat White and Steve Slaton were viewed as a cheat code in both realms.

When you're winning a bunch of games, you have everyone's attention. Perhaps the administration at the time would have been more on board with going "all-in" with the football program, and instead of just being one game away from a national championship, maybe they would have had the pieces and depth to win that game and start a dynasty.

That may seem bold to think, but did anyone have Indiana turning into a powerhouse on their bingo card? I know I sure as hell didn't. There's no way of telling how everything would have unfolded, which makes the topic truly fascinating.

In all likelihood, WVU would have been hurt by the implementation of the portal/NIL more than being the beneficiary of it, but it all depends on when it would have been put in place.