As the college football transfer portal opens and overflows with thousands of entrants, an HBCU football coach is urging players to think carefully before making their next move.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, new Winston-Salem State coach Tory Woodbury carried a message and tone of both warning and encouragement: “Over 8,000 players in the portal… please be smart!! Make sure you have a plan!” he wrote.
Woodbury, who returns to the school where he led the Rams to back-to-back CIAA championships in 1999 and 2000 as a quarterback, emphasized that WSSU’s focus remains on player development — both on the field and beyond.
“At Winston-Salem State University, we want high-character players and young men that want to get developed on and off the field,” he wrote.
Over 8,000 players in the portal… please be smart!!
Make sure you have a plan!
At WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY we want high character players & young men that want to get developed on and off the field.
We aren’t a placeholder!! #WeNotMe
— Tory Woodbury (@T_Woodbury11) January 2, 2026
The message comes days after Rams starting quarterback Daylin Lee entered the transfer portal and committed to Tennessee State.
The veteran coach made clear that the Rams are not interested in serving as a brief stopover for players looking to bounce between programs. “We aren’t a placeholder!!” he added, tagging the team’s familiar rallying cry, #WeNotMe.
Woodbury’s comments reflect a growing concern among college coaches about the rapid rise of the transfer portal era, where thousands of student-athletes enter annually in search of new programs — often without securing landing spots.
His words echo a sentiment shared by many within the HBCU football community: the importance of patience, preparation, and purpose in a landscape that has transformed player movement at every level of the game.
