Across all divisions of college sports, athletes with interest in transferring schools can enter a transfer portal to have the opportunity to continue their sports at another institution. First launched in October 2018, the NCAA transfer portal was designed to organize and facilitate the transfer process for athletes. The portal provides student-athletes with more power and transparency during their transfer process.
The process of entering the transfer portal is simple for college athletes. The athlete must simply notify their school’s compliance department of their intention to transfer, and they will be in the portal within the following 48 hours. At no point during this process can the compliance department nor the coaching staff reject the athlete’s request. Once in the portal, schools can begin contacting athletes unless the student specified “do not contact” on their profile upon their portal entry.
Every school’s compliance department, as well as one coach from each sport has access to the portal. Some college coaches find the transfer portal extremely useful, checking it multiple times a day, while others rely on social media or the internet to update with information about transfers. Especially for highly-desirable transfers, it is important for coaches to be aware of these possible transfers beforehand and be ready once they enter the portal.
Even though the transfer portal is open to college athletes across all divisions, top-level Division I transfers are typically more widely tracked and broadcasted and have additional rules and regulations set by the NCAA and Division I Council. There are specified windows for athletes to enter the transfer portal. The amount of days/dates that athletes can enter is dictated by sport and season. Once transferred to their new school, student-athletes are guaranteed their financial aid through their graduation. The NCAA requires that colleges have to provide transfer athletes with their scholarships until they have completed their five years of eligibility or bachelor’s degree, unless the athlete transfers again or takes any professional athletic opportunities. Graduate athletes also have the opportunity to continue their athletic careers through the transfer process as long as they have graduated and have one year of eligibility left.
The transfer portal has changed college athletics not only for college athletes, but also prospective recruits. Athletes can enter the portal for a number of reasons. Many athletes choose to transfer because of opportunities at different colleges/athletic programs, to move closer to home, and even to possibly receive more profitable name, image, and likeness deals. Either way, transfers can make recruiting processes for high school athletes extremely difficult. Not only do high school athletes have to compete for roster spots against fellow athletes in their graduating class, they also have to compete against seasoned transfers. This raises demands for prospective athletes looking to compete at the next level and could add additional pressures during the recruitment process.
Reports released by the NCAA reveal that the amount of transfer athletes have increased. In 2021, 17,781 college athletes entered the transfer portal, and 2022, the NCAA reported that 20,911 athletes entered the transfer portal. This displays a shocking increase of 18% in just one year. The transfer portal is a vital tool for student-athletes wishing to change their athletic and academic experience. The use of the transfer portal has exploded since its inception, and it's changing the face of college sports for coaches, college athletes, and new recruits.
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