Investigating the Unpredictable Nature of Transfer Portal Recruiting

Since the beginning that year, the recruitment process has grown exponentially and is now threatening college football’s offseason. What is the best part?

It is quicker than the high school recruiting process for coaches trying to create their rosters. This portal was used by teams such as USC under Lincoln Riley and LSU under Kirby Smart, as well as Florida under Shad Khan to update the rosters of their teams in just one year.

The impact of the portal on early sign-up periods

December is the month that kicks off the college football offseasonand it , a variety of dates to keep in mind. Starting from National Signing Day to the opening of the portal for transfers to the early signing period and bowl games, the offseason for college football can be an overwhelming task for teams.

The recruiting staff has spent in the last few months working extra hard to make sure that their students are in the best position possible for a smooth transition into a new school. They look through social media as well as the transfer portal for those that pique their interest. They later, they do the legwork to evaluate the suitability of their players to join a new school.

The total number of FBS scholarships that have entered the portal this offseason has already surpassed 2,000. The expectation is that a large portion of those transfers will happen before the early signing period starts on Dec. 21, and coaches are expected to be well-prepared to manage the excitement.

High school recruitment has been affected by the portal

In the past, high school football recruiting was a symbiotic relationship between athletes and teams. But that’s changing in the college football world, thanks to a mix of one-time transfer rulesand an extra year of eligibility due to the implementation of COVID-19, and the portal.

It has resulted in increasing transfer rates that are reducing potential for young athletes to be offered scholarships. This is a problem both for coaches as well as the teams.

The same is true for the kids. Like, Mason Ahlemeyer of Skyline in Sacramento has just completed two years in a junior college, but could not get the football scholarship.

Yet, there are still a lot of high school students that have been offered scholarships. This isn’t happening as fast. It’s a clear indication that the college football scene has moved more towards professional leagues. It’s something that coaches and players are acutely aware. It’s something that we cannot overlook.

The effects of this portal’s influence on the college game

In the chaos of the transfer portal recruiting process consuming the football season at colleges, it’s difficult to figure out which direction to take. It’s impossible to identify any one answer. Certain coaches think they’ve conducted every research they could and have a plan to follow. Other coaches are worried about an uncontrollable chaos.

There are those who think their team has collapsed and that their team will not improve even if they go. The coaches have a decision to make: Do they let those players rest on their backs and expect them to improve over time?

Or do they gently push them away?

This is a choice that every FBS organization makes. The decision has grown normal over the past few years since more players have entered the portal.

Some players might be able to find new homes in FCS or other schools in Group 5 in certain instances. They can also revoke their portal entry in other scenarios and explore other opportunities.

The portal’s impact on the NFL

The football season for colleges is hectic and coaches need to put in a lot of effort to locate the perfect players to fill their teams. It’s become the NCAA’s free agency available to athletes at all levels and gives them the power to search for the right schools for their needs.

The portal is an NCAA database that enables student-athletes to express their desire to transfer to a different school prior to the time they even begin contacting other coaches. The site was created in order to simplify the process for coaches and athletes alike.

The athletes must first request their coaches’ permission to contact other schools. After that, they can go through word-of-mouth and see which coaches might be interested. The portal lets coaches and the staff communicate with any compliance officer of a player in the event that they wish to begin discussions with them.