The NCAA transfer portal giveth and taketh.

It’s just that simple.

When you play in the deep end of the portal pool, there will be times when you swim and other times when you sink.

The Cowboys have seen that up close already this winter, and that’s not about to change anytime soon.

And for all the McNeese State fans upset by the changing game, you just have to get used to the idea of the revolving roster door.

McNeese signed up for this when it wanted to rebuild and become relevant again in the college football world.

Last week, Jo’shon Barbie, the team’s leading rusher, first re-committed to the Cowboys after entering the now-famous transfer portal and then flipped at the last minute to head off to Marshall.

It left fans angry, confused and feeling hurt.

Meanwhile, all-American linebacker Micah Davey remains in the portal while McNeese fans await his decision.

Two players are likely making the biggest decision in their young lives.

Maybe Barbie didn’t handle things great, but he and the rest of us are just learning this new process. It wasn’t long ago when few players considered coming here.

Now the Cowboys are one of the leaders in bringing Football Bowl Subdivision players down a level in the country. Last season they led all Football Championship Subdivision schools in that category.

Last weekend the Cowboys added four former FBS players, so while fans are concerned about the exit door, they must also look at the entrance. It might not seem equal, but this is what happens when money takes over the recruiting process.

And frankly, McNeese fans can’t whine much, either.

If you look at what is happening in basketball, the portal is doing far more good than harm to the school’s athletic brand on the national level. Nobody at the Cowboys’ level has done a better job using the portal to turn a program around than Will Wade and his staff.

Matt Viator understands the new world he has returned to when he became the Cowboys’ head football coach for a second time in December.

When he first met with his team, he said he told them he understood they had unprecedented options and would not hold anything against their decisions. In the past, Viator has been good at getting and working with bounce-backs, players who started at bigger programs and made their way to McNeese.

“I always tried to know something about them, something of the reasons for them transferring,” Viator said. “You have to bring the right people in.”

That has not been easy, and over the past few years, McNeese, like all other programs, has missed on more than a couple of portal transfers, especially at quarterback. That, too, is part of today’s game.

“Things happen faster now,” Viator said. “Guys get in the portal and everything can change quickly.”

As the McNeese program continues to rebuild its roster and facilities, many more players will likely be interested in transferring to Lake Charles. If they start to win, more will be noticed, and a transfer will be offered.

The key is finding the right guys who want to be Cowboys for as long as they are here.

“You have to spend most of your time worried about those who want to be here,” Viator said. “You can’t worry about those who don’t.”

McNeese fans need to do the same. It would make their offseason much more relaxing.

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Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese State athletics for the American Press. Email him at jimgazzolo@yahoo.com