On TV today it was cited that since the beginning of the ‘20-‘21 year 1,153 basketball players have entered the Transfer Portal. In that there are only 350 Division I schools with basketball teams, that would be an average of more than 3.3 transfers “going and coming” at every school. Even without the max limit on scholarships, it’s certain that all those who entered the Portal aren’t going to find a team that wants them.
Given the NCAA rule that once a player enters the Portal his school no longer has the obligation to continue to pay for any portion of his grant-in-aid, there’s going to be a bunch who will try to come crawling back from whence they came. Will coaches welcome them back with open arms? A few I suppose, but lots may have completed their college athletic careers, and maybe even college if they can’t afford to pick up the tab themselves.
Another complication is how many teams can afford to go over the NCAA limit, even if coaches wanted to beef up their roster for a year? The all-in cost of three additional scholarship players is probably in the range of $200,000 plus, at power conference schools anyway. The conversations between coaches, ADs and college presidents are likely to be a bit challenging on the question of cost versus benefit. I wouldn’t want to have to argue the affirmative on that debate with a college president. And if COVID limits attendance at games next season? Methinks that the number of ex-basketball and football players created by the lure of the Transfer Portal is going to be well into the several hundreds.
When the music stops playing for this game of Transfer Portal musical chairs this year, methinks there are going to be a whole lot of ex-basketball and football players trying to figure out what college they can afford to attend on their own dime next year. At least without the time they spent on athletics, they’ll have plenty of time to study.
Given the NCAA rule that once a player enters the Portal his school no longer has the obligation to continue to pay for any portion of his grant-in-aid, there’s going to be a bunch who will try to come crawling back from whence they came. Will coaches welcome them back with open arms? A few I suppose, but lots may have completed their college athletic careers, and maybe even college if they can’t afford to pick up the tab themselves.
Another complication is how many teams can afford to go over the NCAA limit, even if coaches wanted to beef up their roster for a year? The all-in cost of three additional scholarship players is probably in the range of $200,000 plus, at power conference schools anyway. The conversations between coaches, ADs and college presidents are likely to be a bit challenging on the question of cost versus benefit. I wouldn’t want to have to argue the affirmative on that debate with a college president. And if COVID limits attendance at games next season? Methinks that the number of ex-basketball and football players created by the lure of the Transfer Portal is going to be well into the several hundreds.
When the music stops playing for this game of Transfer Portal musical chairs this year, methinks there are going to be a whole lot of ex-basketball and football players trying to figure out what college they can afford to attend on their own dime next year. At least without the time they spent on athletics, they’ll have plenty of time to study.
