Transparency Item: This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
College athletics has been heavily changing since the implementation of the transfer portal in 2018. The “portal” allows for collegiate athletes of all levels to place their names into an online list to be recruited by other colleges in hopes of finding better teams, coaches, academics or overall college experience, according to the NCSA.
In 2023, I entered the transfer program in hopes of a better women’s basketball program for my two remaining years of eligibility. I entered the portal after my third season at Xavier University of low playing time and low spirits and was excited when Pepperdine called me.
The portal has also been affected by recent NCAA rule changes, including immediate eligibility for transfers, the addition of the COVID-19 fifth year and the passing of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) that allows for college athletes to profit off of their personal brand. Despite this growth for student athlete freedom, coaches and fans have expressed frustrations about the revolving door of the NCAA transfer portal.
As of 2024, athletes are competing with four to even eight years of eligibility and have used the portal to play for the best teams and get the best degrees. There were seven new transfers on my team this season, and all but one have more than four years of eligibility.
Rule changes
The impact of COVID-19 on college athletics gave active fall and winter athletes an added fifth year of eligibility, which created more opportunities for transferring, according to the NCAA.
There has been recent rule changes to help protect the transfer recruiting process and student athletes. Up until recently, athletes could only transfer one time during their undergraduate years without having to sit out of competition for a year, according to the NCAA. This gave athletes freedom but also restricted overuse of the portal.
Those who would attempt a second transfer would need a waiver signed by their athletic department and the board of directors at the NCAA. An example of this grueling waiver process is Devontez Walker, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill wide receiver, who was initially denied a waiver before fighting for months to be able to play.
As of December 2023, multi-transfers are now allowed to transfer more than one time during their undergraduate career and do not have to sit out a year, according to Front Office Sports.
Problems with the portal
Coaches and fans are extremely frustrated by the waiver process when it comes to recruiting a two-time transfer athlete. The long process requires multiple athletic departments of the athletes’ previous schools and the NCAA to comply.
Others believe the waiver process should not be allowed, and two-time transfers should not be immediately eligible at all, according to Mississippi State’s Cowbell Corner.
Although the waiver process is currently necessary, it neglects the fact that athletes are adults with free will. Deciding on a college is often the first impactful decision an athlete makes out of high school, and their desires can change over the next four years.
Off the court, switching schools during undergraduate years can be difficult with transferring college credits. Personally, because I transferred to Pepperdine, I added another year to my four-year degree.
Even though coaches are fighting the transfer process, they still have no issue recruiting out of the portal themselves. Recruiting an already experienced athlete gives the team an upper hand against teams recruiting out of high school.
The portal also means that no athlete needs to stay put. As a result, there is a constant change of teams, causing programs to start from scratch each season with team culture and chemistry.
Mental health advocacy has been a trend in college athletics. A 2022 survey showed mental health concerns increasing by 1.5 to 2 times since 2020, according to the NCAA. Today, it is the main reason athletes transfer.
In my own experience, the transfer process brought me to the best culture I have been a part of. Leaving a school can be difficult, but in the end, it was worth the risk.
Name, Image, Likeness
NIL, which was passed in California in 2019 and fully enacted in 2021, has also changed the playing field, according to the NCAA. Although athletes have the opportunity to transfer into a better degree, they have the same opportunity to find the highest bidder.
NIL allows college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness and create their own brand to sell to companies who are willing to pay them for certain services, according to the NCSA.
Universities are making an effort to bring NIL to their campuses and can even have team NIL deals where every athlete benefits. For example, Texas Tech football has a deal with alumni within The Matador Club for a promised $25,000 per player.
Benefits of the portal
The transfer portal has been expanding every year. Even though skeptics believe collegiate athletes having more freedom is hurting college sports, athletes are also getting the opportunity to act like the adults they are. Students can move to schools where they have more opportunities, a better degree or even higher pay due to NIL.
It is important to remember college athletes are mostly legal adults who signed to their initial colleges when they were in high school. Change is a part of college athletics just as much as it is a part of life.
Coaches move around just as often, as they are constantly trying to climb the ladder in their professions. Relocating is a part of life for a coach, according to The Athletic.
Coaches move around the country looking for better opportunities at new schools, so why is it an issue when athletes do the same?
College athletics has been changing for years, but the transfer portal gives athletes an opportunity to conduct their own change. Whether fans and spectators agree with it or not, college coaches and athletes are taking full advantage of the new rules, especially when it benefits their records.
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Contact Megan Harkey via email: megan.harkey@pepperdine.edu
