By Staff Writer: Jacob Mattox
The transfer portal has quickly become a popular topic in college sports. While the portal can be a very effective tool for athletes to find their ideal fit for their collegiate careers, it can also be used in ways that some would consider taking advantage of the system. The portal started as a tool to simplify the transfer process and is meant to present athletes with an opportunity to switch schools with fewer restrictions than there were in the past.
With the transfer portal receiving more and more athletes each year, it has influenced many coaches to change the way that they recruit players to their school. Many coaches no longer rely on recruiting athletes straight out of high school; instead, they utilize the transfer portal to recruit athletes who already have college-level experience. Coaches now work in a year-to-year roster environment, and while such an approach could potentially be a recipe for success in some areas, it could also strike teams negatively in others.
The increased movement of athletes throughout college sports has visibly made the playing field more level across all divisions. Programs that once struggled to recruit now have more access to athletes that are already proven, which allows those programs to compete at a higher level.
The transfer portal forces players and coaches to be more adaptable, and while the long-term effects of it are still unknown, it can be said that the path to success in college sports is still constantly changing.