Issues Plaguing the NCAA’s Transfer Portal
by Melinda Burris
The NCAA transfer portal was designed to give college athletes more choice in where they played, allowing them to leave a school if they were unhappy with the environment, culture, or the amount of playing time they were getting. Prior to the creation of the portal, student-athletes could transfer schools, but they were penalized for it by losing a year of eligibility. This was a strong deterrent that effectively made students think very carefully before transferring.
In the wake of successful legal challenges demanding compensation and more rights for student-athletes, the NCAA initiated a year-round transfer portal. College players can now enter the portal and transfer schools at any time and begin playing immediately—if there is room for them on the limited roster of their new school’s team.
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The fact that players can move so easily is making it difficult for colleges and universities to build programs on the coaching side; and on the student side, there are so many players entering the portal that a huge logjam has been created in numerous sports and players aren’t getting placed because the NCAA has strict rules about how many members each school is allowed per team.
Though the transfer portal was created to make it easier for student-athletes, the result has been an opening of the floodgates and tough competition for placement. In college football, for instance, experts estimate that 40% of players who enter the portal will never find a spot on another team because there simply aren’t enough openings.1 The constant influx of new transfers has left coaching and athletic department staff overwhelmed and frustrated as they are constantly having to reconfigure their team dynamic.1
To give you an idea of the sheer magnitude of the problem, consider NCAA football. According to Brian Spilbeler, cofounder of the scouting analysis company, Tracking football, more than 3,400 players from divisions I, II, and III entered the portal in a 90-day period from November 2021 to February 2022. That is the highest number of transfers to go through the portal since its inception in October 2018. Since August 1, 2021, approximately 1,300 scholarship Football Bowl Scholarship Players have entered the portal and almost half of them have yet to find a spot on a team.1
Not Enough Scholarship Money to Go Around
This situation is also causing havoc with scholarship allotments because so many student-athletes depend on scholarships to attend school but just like spots on the team roster, there are only so many to go around. As a result, transfers and rookie recruits are competing not only for a spot on the team but also for scholarship dollars.
Coach Steve McGill notes that for track athletes, “Scholarship money is very scarce (due to Title IX and because track is not a revenue-producing sport). So, transfers can mean athletes will lose scholarships and therefore lose their ability to pay for college. That’s always been an issue in track, but now, it is exacerbated.”
Possible Solutions
This situation has led colleges and universities to search for ways the transfer portal can be modified so this logjam can be avoided, and students do not risk losing scholarships or the ability to play due to lack of space. One idea being discussed is changing the portal so that it is no longer open year-round, making transfers possible only at specific times of the year. Another suggestion being investigated is capping players’ ability to transfer once they reach graduate status.1
While the NCAA is aware of the problems, in the face of its recent court losses in favor of student-athletes, it is wary about creating new policies that restrict transfers for fear of being sued. In fact, the idea of only allowing the portal to be open during certain times was discussed when it was created, but the NCAA decided against putting those requirements into place due to legal concerns.1
The COVID Effect
Covid has further complicated the issue because seniors were allowed to come back for a fifth season to make up for the playing time lost during mandatory shutdowns of games. This has left coaches to face hard decisions about whether to let seniors return or use their freshmen recruits.
Sportswriter Brad Elliott Schlossman has another take on the situation, arguing that students, like schools and coaching staff, are finding themselves in a no-win situation through no fault of their own because of the pandemic and its consequences for college sports. Schlossman argues that although college hockey players are receiving heavy criticism due to the large number of league players entering the transfer portal, the condemnation is unfair.2
Despite public perception, Schlossman contends, most of these players aren’t leaving because they lack allegiance to their original teams, rather, they are being forced to find new teams because the NCAA ruled the 2020-21 season which was cut short due to COVID did not count against a player’s eligibility, creating an unprecedented number of fifth-year seniors vying for the conference’s strict 18-scholarship per team allotments.2
Fifth Year Seniors Are Most Likely to End Up in the Portal
When faced with deciding who gets one of those prized 18 spots, coaches tend to choose new recruits who hold the potential of developing talent for the next 3-4 seasons over seniors with only one year left to play. Because of this, fifth-year seniors are more likely than others to end up in the portal and never find a team. Schlossman predicts that when players who lost a year of playing time in 2020-21 due to COVID lose their eligibility in 2025, the logjam in the transfer portal will lessen considerably.2
Of course, that still leaves two more seasons to play out before any relief is expected. In the meantime, the NCAA must search for a way to grant players freedom without endangering their access to scholarships or playing time. That is proving to be a difficult balancing act with no easy answers in sight.
References:
1. Dellenger, R. (2 February 2022). As the Transfer Portal Overflows, the Search for Solutions Is On.
2. Schlossman, B.E. (13 April 2022). Daily Skate: For many players, going into the transfer portal is not their choice.
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