Listen Here
By Erin Moran
The NCAA transfer portal, a controversial software database for college athletes, was introduced in 2018. The portal allows students to explore opportunities without having to take gaps in their athletic progress. Student-athletes notify their current school of their intent to transfer, which allows other programs to contact them officially.
“What’s controversial and why it’s been such a big, big deal in the past couple of years is that the transfer rules have changed,” said Derek Downs, the University of Findlay’s director of compliance. “Because the NCAA eliminated a lot of the transfer legislation on how many times you can transfer and what you have to do to be eligible, a lot of people have all these opinions.”
“But it’s just a platform for coaches to view who they are able to talk to and who they’re not,” said Downs. “The transfer portal is a list of names that shows what school you’re coming from, your email, your phone number, what sport you play, and whether you’re active or not.”
“It makes the whole process more streamlined,” said Downs.
Behind each transfer decision is a compliance process to ensure athletes understand the consequences and terms of entering the portal.
The Division II level differs from Divisions I and III when it comes to transfer portal restrictions. While there are strict sport-specific windows to enter and eligibility restrictions for Division I athletes, Division II athletes may enter the portal at any time after formally notifying the school. Division lll is not required to use the transfer portal. Each division’s committee oversees the regulations for the transfer portal process specified by sport and school.
“There’s no date limits for Division II student athletes for when they can enter the portal and that’s pretty, that’s a big advantage for Division II over Division I,” said Downs. “Beyond that, there’s not really a lot of difference with the whole process.”
Along with the transfer portal, the NCAA Division II committee is voting on new legislation that would permit students to compete for five seasons across ten semesters rather than four seasons in ten semesters.
“The NCAA would eliminate medical hardship waivers, seasons in competition waivers, exceptions, like preseason scrimmages, and anything else like that,” said Downs. “There’s a lot of moving pieces to it, but from a transfer perspective, it’s all, it’s based on when you exhaust your eligibility.”
For Evan Combs, a first-year track and field athlete currently in the transfer portal, the want to transfer was driven by educational reasons rather than athletics.
“I intended on studying exercise science going into the physical therapy program, but I realized pretty quickly that it’s just not for me,” said Combs. ”I’ve always been super passionate about music, and I realized that’s what I want to do with my life. So I decided to enter the transfer portal to pursue my dream to become a music educator.”
For Combs, the portal was the best way to balance the life of a student athlete.
“I’m trying to find the best of both worlds, because I want to continue full vaulting, but I also have to prioritize my future, which is my education,” said Combs.
For Jess Hoban, a fifth-year athlete who transferred to Findlay her sophomore year, the portal granted both freedom and pressure.
“I definitely think that the transfer portal gives athletes a lot more control over their paths, but teams also can add a lot of pressure for their athletic careers,” said Hoban. “It gave me control of knowing what I needed in a coach and in a team performance, and then academically, it gave me more time to figure out exactly what I wanted to do.”
Like many others, Hoban transferred for athletic and personal reasons.
“I decided to enter the transfer portal to give myself a better athletic experience as well as a better team environment. I wasn’t doing very well mentally at my old school and decided that the transfer portal would be the best thing for me mentally and for my performance,” said Hoban.
While the transfer portal has expanded opportunities, it has also added uncertainty to collegiate athletics. For some it offers a chance to extend and alter their careers, while others enter the portal without fully understanding the implications or question the fairness of the potentially problematic system.
“As I’ve been an athlete, I’ve noticed that the competition level has significantly increased throughout our conference due to the fact that a lot of people are transferring from D1 schools to D2 schools to get those roster spots and playing time,” said Hoban. “But ultimately, it’s so worth it to put yourself and your athletic and academic career first.”
“There’s definitely a lot of people that take advantage of the system,” said Combs. “But it’s also a good thing, obviously, for kids and my situation because it gives more opportunities both educationally and athletically.”
As NCAA rules continue to evolve, the transfer portal remains a key feature in the collegiate world for both athletes and coaching.
