Written by We are about to hear far more about the transfer portal- the NCAA mechanism that lets college athletes switch schools- than we ever have before. The portal undoubtedly will, either separately or together with Name, Image & LIkeness (NIL), be described as undermining all we hold dear- loyalty, responsibility, devotion.
Much of what we hear will be slanted and represent only a small portion of reality. We may believe that college players who transfer will have a treasure trove of valuable gifts and prizes awaiting them behind door number two at their new school and that everybody is being induced to jump one school to the left or right. Some, perhaps many, of those promises will turn out to be empty promises.
In my little corner of social media, famous coaches are railing against this and lawyers and agents are smiling as players are taking back some power and agency in college sports. I am all for athletes gaining greater agency or control over their playing and academic futures. We are all better when athletes can author a better future for themselves, their families, and their sports. But the crucial question is transferring the right answer? It may be for some and decidedly not be for others and how can we tell the difference is a critical bit of knowledge.
Before we rush to judgment on the transfer portal, as so many did about NIL, let’s be real and discuss the risks and rewards associated with all of this. Perhaps this discussion also has value for parents and athletes in youth sports where club jumping is sure to be increased by college athletes transferring.
College students today transfer for many reasons. Most of these are valid ones including: reducing cost; finding a better academic fit; finding a better personal fit; caring for a parent or a loved one; for a major or career opportunity not offered at their original school. College is no longer something people do only between ages 18-22, on a remote bucolic campus, for four years. College now is part of a process by which people of all ages make an investment in themselves for a better life and career and changing schools is a part of that process. But until last year, collegiate athletes could not move freely between schools as normal students could. Athletes had all the same reasons to want to transfer listed above, plus a number of athletic ones, but they needed either a release from their former school or a petition from the NCAA to play immediately at their new school prior to this year.
Athletes having the ability to change schools is a tremendous achievement in the battle to be treated like any other college student, but not every right won needs to be exercised. This is why I am urging a more careful and measured view of entering the transfer portal.
An athlete should consider entering the transfer portal if:
1) Their current school is a poor academic or athletic fit and another school is better in both elements and will help them get either a more valuable degree or a degree sooner;
2) They need to be in a specific location to receive support from or give support to loved ones;
3) They already have their undergraduate degree and are seeking graduate options that will allow them to play and get an advanced degree.
No athlete should consider entering the transfer portal to:
1) Get more NIL dollars- too many of these promises are just that, promises, and NIL dollars, despite what is being reported, really pale in comparison to even minimum professional contracts.
2) Simply be eligible and play- if an athlete doesn’t have a professional career ahead of them then the value of their degree is increased, the degree is going to be the difference maker and transferring can delay or make graduation harder, perhaps even impossible on a scholarship clock if credits don’t match up. If you have your degree, playing one more season is perfectly fine, but don’t trade valuable eligibility for bogus or unworthy academic programs.
What is the common thread here- prioritizing degree completion, graduate opportunities, and professional sports opportunities over simply changing schools.
Within the next year or so, we will hear cautionary tales about “can’t miss prospects” who changed schools because they could, to the detriment of both their pro careers and completing their degrees. I am as big a proponent of NIL as anybody, anywhere. It can be meaningful money for players supporting family members, and trying to build a life. But it will nearly always be small money when compared with the value of one’s degree (or future degrees) and future in pro sports. There will also be a smaller story on the number of athletes who entered the transfer portal, many times giving up scholarship support, only to find no takers. This has already happened as rules loosened last year. So consider the portal carefully and avoid being that cautionary tale.