Former Texas A&M football players who may end up regretting decision to transfer

The grass isn't always greener: Texas A&M football players who may end up regretting their decision to transfer away from College Station

It shouldn't be news to Texas A&M football fans—or any college football fan, really—that the unrestricted transfer portal may lead to some less-than-optimal decisions for players in the college ranks. It's very easy to jump in based on the emotions of a moment rather than an analysis of what's best in the long run, especially when you have so many voices trying to coax you away from your current roster with promises of immediate gratification.

There can't be a single school in the country that hasn't fallen victim to the situation I've just described at least once. It's a pervasive problem that can only truly be solved with a much different organizational structrue than college football currently has—which is to say, it won't really be solved anytime soon.

There are plenty of object lessons here. Ideally, players in the future can begin to heed such examples and keep a more level head, but especially in these opening years of the free transfer as an institution, there will be some regrettable cases.

This list is meant to document the most notable in this regard among those that have departed Texas A&M football. Not only that, though, but those who—while they have landed on their feet elsewhere—could have been in a better spot had they stayed. Let's jump in.

Former Texas A&M football players who may regret transferring - Jacoby Mathews

Mathews was likely slated for a starting safety spot had he stuck around and put in the work with Texas A&M football. Instead, he departed during the spring window and still has yet to find a landing place.

This is a strange one—Mathews is clearly talented, but the end of his career at A&M was just plainly odd. He missed the Oklahoma State game, which many players sat out of, but tweeted in the middle of the game that it was due to injury. This seemed to quell transfer concerns at first, but far before the spring window opened, he made it clear that he intended to enter the portal after all.

We can only speculate, but that sequence of events makes it feel like the adjustment to a new coaching staff wasn't going so hot on one end of things or another. In any case, I think things would have ended up better for Jacoby had he stuck around and given it his best shot in College Station.