‘College Gameday’: ‘My Girlfriend Entered the Transfer Portal’ Crowd Sign Goes Viral

Throughout the college football season, fans of ESPN and College GameDay create signs in an effort to get on TV and go viral on social media. One fan was quite successful during the most recent episode after referencing something that is occurring more frequently in the NCAA. He also discussed a breakup that may or may not have been real.

Saturday, the College GameDay Twitter account posted a photo of a fan in a Home Depot hard hat. In his hands, the fan was holding a sign that read: “my girlfriend entered the transfer portal.” In response, other football fans were laughing and making inappropriate jokes about why his girlfriend transferred.

“Probably for the best,” the GameDay account added as a caption. Other fans responded by saying that the girlfriend wouldn’t have to sit out for a year like other transfers.

As it turns out, this fan wasn’t the only one with this idea. Back in week one, a man from the Ft. Worth area actually held up the exact same sign. He responded to the photo on Saturday and said that he is a “trendsetter.”

Several other accounts backed up this man’s statement, saying that the joke was funny about eight weeks ago and that this sign was a remix.

For context, the Transfer Portal is a fairly new addition to the NCAA. Players can put their names into the portal, which will alert other schools that they want to transfer from their existing universities. At that point, coaches from other programs are free to contact the players and attempt to bring them to town.

Holding up signs behind the College GameDay set has been a longstanding tradition, but the emergence of social media has taken this to an entirely new level. Fans can go viral at a moment’s notice for both good and bad reasons, which greatly affects the text on their signs. Others have even used this larger platform to do some good in the world.

Back on Sept. 14, an Iowa State fan held up a sign saying that his Busch Light supply needed to be replenished. He included his Venmo information and was greeted with a large influx of money. Once he reached $600, the fan decided to donate his money to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

“This was way better than expected,” Carson King said. “It just goes to show that no matter if you’re a Hawkeye fan, Cyclone fan, or Grand View Viking, we’re all Iowans, and Iowans take care of each other.”

Following the first weekend of donations, King had raised nearly $40,000. He ultimately partnered with Busch Light and finished with a $3 million donation in early October.

Photo Credit: Ray Carlin/Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire/Getty