• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and free FOS gear? Take our quick reader survey. Take the survey here

NCAA Transfer Portal Hits Record Numbers—Again

Nearly 2,300 men’s basketball players and 1,500 women’s basketball players have entered the transfer portal this year.

Mar 20, 2025; Wichita, KS, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Silas Demary Jr. (5) dribbles against Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Emmanuel Innocenti (5) in the second half of a first round men’s NCAA Tournament game at Intrust Bank Arena.
Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

The NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal has hit a record number of entrants for the fourth consecutive year.

As of Monday, a total of 2,320 men’s basketball players have entered the 2025 transfer portal, according to Verbal Commits, about 11.3% more than last year’s number. The number can still increase before the portal, which opened March 24, closes Tuesday.

Portal-Palooza

Here are the number of men’s players in the portal every year since it was introduced:

2025: 2,320
2024: 2,083
2023: 1,724
2022: 1,650
2021: 1,653
• 2020: 967
2019: 957

The number of athletes in the transfer portal represents more than 40% of the total men’s basketball players before the beginning of the 2024–2025 season (5,607). That pool, however, includes graduates, redshirts, and players without scholarships.

On the women’s side, there are 1,464 players in the transfer portal as of Monday, according to On3. That accounts for about 29% of the total women’s players on rosters last season (5,048).

Polarizing Portal

The transfer portal has been a contentious topic across all NCAA sports. Players, coaches, and pundits have compared it to free agency in professional sports after it was compounded with NIL (name, image, and likeness) rule changes implemented in 2021.

There are benefits for players seeking more playing time or a culture change. One example is Lauren Betts, the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 women’s recruiting class, who played her freshman year at Stanford but struggled with the Cardinal. 

She moved to UCLA in 2023 and has talked about how playing for Cori Close and the Bruins rejuvenated her love for the game. Last season, Betts led UCLA to its first Final Four in the NCAA era.

However, not every transfer portal story is as successful as Betts’s. AD Advisors and sports analytics firm Timark Partners released a study Friday that indicated 70% of men’s basketball players from power conferences and the Big East who entered the transfer portal were unable to find a new school or transferred down. (The study placed schools in three tiers based on the amount of money spent on their basketball programs, and transferring down meant moving to a program in a lower tier.)

Moving to ostensibly smaller programs could still be beneficial for players seeking additional playing time or for other personal reasons. However, the effects of entering the portal—whether positive or negative—vary on a case-by-case basis.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Oct 26, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates a three-point shot in the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Frost Bank Center.

NBA Betting Scandals Overshadow Wembanyama’s Superstar Leap

Wembanyama is following the path of Shohei Ohtani in MLB.
May 20, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers and LA Sparks co-owner Todd Boehly watches during game three of the Western Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena.
exclusive

Mark Walter’s Lakers Buy Includes Dodgers Co-Owner Todd Boehly

Jeanie Buss will retain a roughly 15% stake and remain team governor.
Tigers Head Coach Brian Kelly, LSU Tigers take on the Texas A&M Aggies. October 25, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; at Tiger Stadium. Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025.

College Football Coach Buyouts Are Not What They Seem

LSU will likely not have to pay Kelly the $53 million he has left on his contract.

Sports Equinox 2025 Shows How Fragmented Sports TV Has Become

Multiple streaming services are needed to watch Monday’s games.

Featured Today

September 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium

NFL Fall Meeting: 7 Big Topics Among Team Owners 

Media, facilities, and labor highlight some of the key areas of concern.
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Isaiah West (32) runs the ball in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin
October 25, 2025

NIL Has Birthed a Third-Party Cottage Industry—and It’s a Mess

There’s no limit to how much players can make from NIL deals.
Christie's
October 21, 2025

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.
Brian Kelly

CFB Firings Tracker: LSU Owes Brian Kelly $53 Million

The sum owed Kelly slightly tops James Franklin’s at Penn State. 
October 26, 2025

Revenue-Sharing Era’s New Powers: Indiana, Georgia Tech, and Vandy

Indiana is the most notable, having ascended to No. 2.
October 26, 2025

LSU Ends Brian Kelly Era, $53M Buyout Negotiations Underway

The Tigers fell to 5–3 after losing to Texas A&M.
Sponsored

How HOKA is Reimagining the NIL Relationship

Fans can now follow their favorite golfers and experience every marquee moment at the Ryder Cup — thanks to innovation from T-Mobile.
October 26, 2025

Sarkisian, Kiffin Address Rumors As Coaching Carousel Spins Again

Reports are rampant about the coaches taking new jobs.
Azzi Fudd
October 24, 2025

Government Shutdown Moves UConn Season Opener Out of Germany

The shutdown is now on its 24th day.
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (2) celebrates following the game between Vanderbilt University and Louisiana State University at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025
exclusive
October 24, 2025

Diego Pavia Is Trying to Kill NCAA JUCO Eligibility Rules for Good

Vandy’s QB is amending his own lawsuit to encompass all NCAA athletes.
Oct 11, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell after losing the game to the Pittsburgh Panthers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium.
October 23, 2025

CFB’s Chaotic (and Pricey) Coaching Carousel Only Getting Started

Firings have already accounted for roughly $116 million.