College athletes are now being rewarded for not being loyal to their school through the transfer portal, which has become a huge issue. It is ruining college sports as we know them.

What is the transfer portal?

The Transfer Portal was designed as a compliance tool to help student-athletes express their intention to look into alternative programs, increase openness throughout the school transfer process, and manage the process properly from beginning to end.

The Athletes

This year more than ever this issue has come to light. In just the first day of the transfer portal being open for college athletes over 1,100 football players alone entered. Between August 2021 and July 2022 more than 20,900 Division I student athletes used the transfer portal. Only around 12,000 of them found a home, and the other 9,000 were required to put their career on hold.

Why are students transferring?

NIL (name, image, likeness) deals. It is as simple as that. NIL is a contract or agreement that a student-athlete has with a brand, business, or individual in which the student-athlete gets paid for the use of their name, likeness, and image. Nothing is confirmed but there is much speculation across college sports that coaches are using NIL deals to sway athletes to come to their school. Most are violating NCAA recruiting laws by contacting athletes before they are in the portal. Some say that they would like to be closer to their family, some say they want a new challenge, some say they want a better program, but it all boils down to the NIL deal that they sign right after they transfer to the other school.

Why is it bad?

The transfer portal is the biggest problem in D1. It is creating a bigger space between high level Power Five schools, and lower level D1 schools. It is also hurting the high school athletes that are looking to play collegiate sports. Tons of athletes have already had problems being recruited with the amount of transfers that their target schools have taken in. It is reducing opportunities for younger athletes to develop at the next level. This affects the coaches too! The coaches are having trouble filling spots because kids transfer out. A lot of the time the reason for transfers is the athletes want bigger and better programs with long and illustrious histories. 

Conclusion

The sooner recruits learn that it is not about the program that you are at, it is about the work you are going to put in to get to the next level the better. Frequently you see athletes that were great in college flop in pro. The school that you are at does not determine your outcome. There is always a place for everybody, but stuck in the transfer portal is not one of them.