In 2021 it was reported that 15,000 athletes had entered the Portal the first ever year it was created. If that doesn’t make you question as a sports fan if this is good for the players or not, it should! In the wide span of sports you have to realize the reason you go to that certain college is to work hard and try to play from that hard work and long time dedication to a team. With the Transfer Portal though that changes everything as this gives a player a brand new chance to start right away and get a brand new chance at a new college. You have to think that the players that were barely seeing playing time for a time and they transfer to smaller school for more playing time is huge or then but when a player that is averaging 10+ points and 5+ rebounds you should be able to do what you can with that team unless it’s something inside the program.

Basketball

This last season included a bunch of transfers that lit up the game and proved how vital the portal was for players. A prime example of this is with Oscar Tshiebwe as he transferred from West Virginia to Kentucky in 2021 while brining home the National Player of the Year, SEC Player of the Year, All-American, and averaged 17.4 points, 15.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assist. Those stats is the reason he was the top guy also the lead-way from Coach Calapari at Kentucky showed everyone the talent that Tshiebwe was waiting to breakout. Another transfer like Remy Martin who transferred from Arizona State to Kansas helped lead his team to the “Promise Land” and brought home a championship for the first time in 14 years. With the NBA Draft approaching a lot of players that previously transferred declared for this year’s draft with names including James Akinjo from Baylor, Walker Kessler from Auburn, And Aldones Williams out of Wake Forest who all made ginormous leaps for their respectable teams.

Football

Over to arguably the other most watched sport, Football, which was the sport hit like no other as over the 2020 season going into the ’21 season there was reported 985 players in the portal. This is more of a problem compared to basketball since a roster usually consists of 15 players, as for football this number exceeds basketball by a huge margin as they can have up to 125 players. In hindsight it’s great for the players who transfer since they get the opportunity to come in and have a fresh slate with their new home but for the returning players this hurts them a lot. When you put all your time and dedication just for someone that’s just flat out better comes in and takes a players spot. This gives recruit and athletes a bad reputation on the university since it shows that the staff are just looking for the best player’s and don’t care about developing and the time it takes for a younger star.

The effects the Transfer Portal has brought in so far has been really incredible and should make the future of NCAA sports even more exciting than before. Watch out for NIL though as a lot of player’s are entering the portal to make more money and see what program can offer them them the most money. Time will tell on how this will truly effect college sports but for the time being, enjoy it and embrace the change.