Despite increased complaints from fans about the NCAA needing to implement transfer restrictions, the issue may not be as bad as perceived.
NCAA president Charlie Baker spoke with reporters Tuesday night at the NCAA convention and said that entry into the FBS transfer portal is down 23% from last year. The figure comes despite numerous big-time programs like Ohio State (33), Oklahoma (28), and Texas (24) having seen a high number of transfers this month.
On3 reports that the number of FBS portal entrants last cycle was 4,201, the most ever since the portal’s creation in 2018. For comparison, this year the portal reportedly has just over 3,000 entrants. Assuming more players enter the portal before the window closes on Jan. 16, Baker’s number appears to be accurate.
Baker attributed the decline primarily to the House v. NCAA settlement agreement; schools are now able to directly negotiate with their players and as a result, have had more success retaining them. This has been the case for high-profile players like Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers, and Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy, who were all rumored to be considering entering the portal.
The transfer portal has also drawn added attention because of its timing, with the Jan. 2–16 window directly overlapping with the College Football Playoff.
In a press conference before the Peach Bowl, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said “[his] Oregon prep got cut a little bit short” due to having 13 transfer portal players visiting campus that day. The Ducks were also affected by the portal, having to convert a pair of defensive players to running back because of two players transferring and being unavailable for the game.
The transfer portal will remain a talking point as long as thousands of players enter it each season. That said, with schools now better able to pay and retain their star talent, it appears the portal may have reached its max number of entrants.
