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NCAA Recruiting and The Transfer Portal: A One-Way Ticket or Revolving Door?

  • Writer: Madeline Maday
    Madeline Maday
  • Apr 2
  • 8 min read

                                                                      

A fourth of Division I (“D-I”) scholarship athletes entered the transfer portal in each sport’s respective 2023-2024 off-seasons.[2] In comparison to the single digit percentage a decade ago, the portal’s impact has become a hotly debated issue in collegiate sports.[3] Schools now face increasing challenges as they try to balance recruiting high school athletes while competing for transfers from other institutions[4] 

 

On October 4th, 2023, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (“NCAA”) approved changes to shrink the transfer window for D-I schools from 60 days to 45 days.[5] Since then, the NCAA has introduced further changes to the portal. This change will mostly impact Fall sports who now have a 30-day window post-regular season.[6] Meanwhile, spring maintain their 45-day window throughout the year to enter their name into the transfer portal.[7] Currently, 61% of students enter the transfer portal within the first 30 days, this change will no doubt influence a very active transfer portal.[8] 

 

Evolution of the Transfer Portal

 

Introduced in 2018, the NCAA transfer portal was designed to both simplify and regulate the transfer process for student-athletes, college coaches, and NCAA compliance officers.[9] Under the initial system, athletes needed permission from their current school before contacting another school about transferring.[10] This rule was created in order to prevent poaching by rival programs but incidentally created the unintended consequence of coaches denying athletes’ transfer request.[11] At the time, transferring athletes were also required to sit out one academic year before competing for their new team, effectively losing [12][13]

 

The landscape significantly changed in 2021 when the NCAA eliminated the need for institutional permission and allowed immediate eligibility for first time student-athletes transfers.[14] This shift triggered a surge in portal activity.[15] Softball experienced similar showcases these dramatic trends. In 2019, during one of its transfer windows, 528 softball players entered the portal.[16][17][19]Following the 2021 reforms, participation spiked to 1,294 players, and by the following year, the number rose to 1,474 players.  [20][22] 

 

One of the most significant developments in 2024 was removing the limit on the number of times an athlete can transfer. As long as the athlete meets the required GPA and credit-hour benchmarks they are eligible to transfer. As a result, in 2024, over 400 athletes had entered the spring transfer portal, with 207 entering on the first day alone.[23] Now, in 2025, the NCAA has also replaced the National Letter of Intent (NLI) with a financial aid package tied to revenue–sharing contracts.[24] This shift reflects the growing influence of professional models on college sports which, combined with less rigid transfer standards, gives athletes significantly more autonomy.

 

Super Teams and the Competitive Balance Debate

 

Relaxed transfer rules have drawn criticism for creating “super teams,” as powerhouse programs consistently attract top talent from smaller schools[25][26] Oklahoma University Softball, a three-time consecutive Women's College World Series champion, epitomizes this dynamic.[27] In the 2018-2019 cycle, Oklahoma added just two transfers to their roster.[28] 

 

During the 2024 season, the program added four, including star pitcher Kelly Maxwell from rival Oklahoma State University (“OSU”).[29] Maxwell‘s transfer sparked backlash, including public criticism from her former coach, Kenny Gajewski who made headlines with his reaction to the media.[30] Gajewski accused thatMaxwell of undermining everything she had accomplished as an OSU player, and that she was not welcome back in Stillwater.[31] 

 

Critics argue that super teams like Oklahoma dominate the portal by leveraging their prestige to recruit elite players, leaving smaller programs unable to compete and threatening the competitive balance amongst teams.[32] Sean Frazier, the Athletic Director at Northern Illinois University met these growing concerns by proposing a “talent acquisition fee,” modeled after transfer fees in European Soccer.[33] This fee would require schools to acquire athletes through the transfer portal to compensate their former institutions.[34]

 

The Portal’s Role in Redistributing Talent

 

While super teams dominate the transfer debate, the portal also offers opportunities for less competitive programs to improve.[35] Mere days after winning her second championship with Oklahoma and All-American award in 2023, starting pitcher Jordy Bahl made the decision to enter the transfer portal.[36] Bahl decided to join Nebraska, a program that has not reached the Women’s College World Series in over a decade.[37] This decision was seen as a step toward leveling the playing field.[38][39]

 

Unfortunately, Bahl’s impact on Nebraska’s 2024 season was cut short when she suffered a season-ending ACL injury during her first start for the Cornhuskers. Her absence underscored the risk of relying on portal acquisitions to rebuild programs. Without her contributions, Nebraska finished just above .500 and did not make the NCAA postseason for another year.[40]

 

Super teams like Oklahoma contribute to some of the more glaring reasons for the NCAA to continue reforming the transfer portal.[41] However, if the NCAA continues to allow the portal to play itself out, it might continue to surprise people and allow for an elevated level of competition at the collegiate level– this time on the players' terms.[42] As the transfer portal continues to evolve, it continues to spark debate about competitive balance, player mobility, and the impact both on athletes and their institutions.



Madeline Maday (Managing Editor) is a 3L at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law from Clarkston, Michigan. She graduated from Emory University where she competed on their softball team. Upon graduation, she will be joining the Global Sports Advocates team in Portland, Maine



References:

[2] See Henry Skarecky, How The NCAA Is Attempting To Rein In The Chaos Of The Transfer Portal, The Georgetown Voice., (April 29, 2023). https://georgetownvoice.com/2023/04/29/how-the-ncaa-is-attempting-to-rein-in-the-chaos-of-the-transfer-portal/ (Referring to 1,400 men’s basketball, 1,000 women’s basketball players, and 2,000 football players entering the portal for DI at the time the article was published).

[3] Id. (Criticizing the new norm of transferring that was brought by the portal).

[4] Id. (Referring to the additional volume of players scouts have to watch at the college level). 

[5] See Tom VanHaaren, NCAA shrinks window for athletes to enter transfer portal, ESPN., (October 4, 2023). https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/38563828/ncaa-shrinks-window-athletes-enter-transfer-portal (Highlighting that each sport will have 45 total days, but it will be divided differently by sport. For example, before this rule change, the window for football would open the day after the College Football Playoff teams were announced and would stay open for 45 days).

[7] Id. (Emphasizing that this rule will not affect when the athlete can transfer, just when they are able to add their name to the portal).

[8] See Meghan Durham Wright, DI Council approves changes to notification-of-transfer windows, NCAA., (October 4, 2023). https://www.ncaa.org/news/2023/10/4/media-center-di-council-approves-changes-to-notification-of-transfer-windows.aspx (Drawing attention to the fact that 39% of students entering the portal transfer in the last 30 days, so this new rule will significantly decrease the number of transfers).

[9] See Brett Dawson, What is the transfer portal anyway? Explaining the NCAA’s process for switching schools, courierjournal., (January 12, 2023). https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/2023/01/12/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-ncaa-transfer-portal/69670749007/ (Introducting the history of the transfer portal).

[10] See Michelle Brutlag Hosick, New transfer rule eliminates permission-to-contact process, NCAA., (June 13, 2018). https://www.ncaa.org/news/2018/6/13/new-transfer-rule-eliminates-permission-to-contact-process.aspx (Contrasting previous rule of having to get permission from a coach and institution where it is not required today).

[11] Id. (Highlighting that, while coaches could potentially still recruit other athletes, they would need permission to do so).

[13] See NCAA, "Transfer Terms," NCAA, https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2015/2/13/transfer-terms.aspx, Accessed October 29, 2023. (Laying out transfer rules per the NCAA manual if the player graduated in four years and didn’t go to grad school).

[14] See Ross Dellenger, ‘It’s Going to Change the Landscape’: the NCAA’s Transfer Revolution Is Here, and Its Impact Will Be Felt Far and Wide, SI., (April 14, 2021). https://www.si.com/college/2021/04/14/ncaa-transfers-rule-change-football-basketball (Introducing 2021 as an important year to the NCAA transfer conversation).

[15] Id. (Establishing the new policy in 2021 that allowed athletes to have more transfer mobility).

[16] See Briar Napier, How Does The NCAA Transfer Portal Work In Softball? Flosoftball., (August 28, 2023). https://www.flosoftball.com/articles/11209851-how-does-the-ncaa-transfer-portal-work-in-softball (Explaining how the transfer windows function for softball specifically).

[17] Id. (Highlighting that the transfer window with less activity, taking place annually from December 1 to December 15, experienced lower participation or movement of softball players within the NCAA transfer portal compared to the second period).

[19] See Softball America, Transfer Tracker By The Numbers, SoftballAmerica., (Accessed October 29, 2023). https://www.softballamerica.com/stories/transfer-tracker-by-the-numbers/ (Laying the foundation for the difference between the portal before and after 2021).

[20] See Justin Mcleod, Inside the Transfer Portal: 2021 By the Numbers, EISX., (January 1, 2022). https://extrainningsoftball.com/inside-the-transfer-portal-2021-by-the-numbers/ (Showing changes post 2021 loosening of portal restrictions).

[22] See Justin Mcleod, Inside the Transfer Portal: 2022 By the Numbers, EISX., (January 2, 2023). https://extrainningsoftball.com/inside-the-transfer-portal-by-the-numbers-2022/#:~:text=1%2C474%20%E2%80%93%20The%20total%20number%20of,and%20with%20any%20ultimate%20conclusion (Showing how the number of athletes in the portal is increasing consistently).

[23] See Understanding the NCAA Transfer Portal and Recent Rule Changes. Sports Recruits Blog., (April 30, 2024). https://blog.sportsrecruits.com/2024/04/30/understanding-the-ncaa-transfer-portal-and-recent-rule-changes/ (explaining 2024 recruiting rules changes).

[25] See Brentt Eads, Inside Pitch: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World… in the Transfer Portal!, EISX., (June 16, 2021). https://extrainningsoftball.com/inside-pitch-its-a-mad-mad-mad-world-in-the-transfer-portal/ (Reflecting on the frequency of player movement during the portal's open period. This heightened activity has drawn substantial attention to the transfer portal).

[26] Id. (Suggesting that a pattern of players transferring on a yearly basis is due to inadequate playing time, while some coaches are accused of relying on the portal for immediate talent acquisition instead of nurturing and developing emerging athletes within their own programs).

[27] See Ryan Chapman, Report: Oklahoma Shocks World Again, Adds Bedlam Rival Out of Transfer Portal, FanNation., (August 3, 2023). https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/softball/ou-softball-oklahoma-shocks-world-again-adds-bedlam-rival-out-of-transfer-portal (Establishing the uniquely situated case of Oklahoma softball).

[28] See Michael Kyllo-Kittleson, Early Impact of 2018-2019 Transfers, FPN., (February 22, 2019). https://fastpitchnews.com/college-softball-news/early-impact-of-2018-transfers/357804 (Referring to transfers Giselle Juarez and Shannon Saile).

[29] See John E. Hoover, Oklahoma Announces Softball Transfers, FanNation., (August 8, 2023). https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/softball/oklahoma-announces-softball-transfers (Referring to transfers Riley Ludlam, Karlie Keeney, Paytn Monticelli, and Kelly Maxwell)

[30] Id. (Highlighting the main issue the community has with Oklahoma transfer not being the number but rather the caliber of player they are bringing in).

[31] Id. (Highlighting the main issue the community has with Oklahoma transfer not being the number but rather the caliber of player they are bringing in).

[32] See Patrick Pinak, Is Oklahoma Ruining College Softball? One Former Softball Legend Speaks Out, FanBuzz., (June 7, 2023). https://fanbuzz.com/college-sports/college-softball/oklahoma-softball-transfers-nil-era/ (Expanding on the criticism of Oklahoma softball’s use of the transfer portal).

[34] Id.

[35] See Emma Baccellieri, Jordy Bahl’s Shocking Transfer From Oklahoma Shows the Brighter Side of Superteams, SI., (June 14,2023). https://www.si.com/college/2023/06/14/jordy-bahl-transfer-portal-oklahoma-softball (Setting up the unlikely decision of Jordy Bahl to transfer out of Oklahoma).

[36] Id. (Highlighting why Bahl’s decision to transfer was such big news in the softball community. Bahl was one of the top contributors on Oklahoma’s roster the past two years she was there).

[37] Id.(Explaining why Bahl made the decision to transfer).

[39] See Oklahoma Athletics, Oklahoma Softball Schedule, Oklahoma Athletics., (October 29, 2023). https://www.soonerstats.com/softball/seasons/schedule.cfm (Adding that, while Bahl decided to transfer to be closer to home, her decision raised the point that other standout players could transfer to create teams that would potentially be good enough to take on Oklahoma).

[40] See Id. (showcasing the Cornhuskers schedule results for the 2024 season).

[41] See Henry Skarecky, How the NCAA is attempting to rein in the chaos of the transfer portal, The Georgetown Voice., (April 29, 2023). https://georgetownvoice.com/2023/04/29/how-the-ncaa-is-attempting-to-rein-in-the-chaos-of-the-transfer-portal/ (Referring back to the NCAA’s decision to decrease the transfer portal window from 60 days to 45).

[42] See Emma Baccellieri, Jordy Bahl’s Shocking Transfer From Oklahoma Shows the Brighter Side of Superteams, SI., (June 14,2023). https://www.si.com/college/2023/06/14/jordy-bahl-transfer-portal-oklahoma-softball (Highlighting the opportunity for the transfer portal to be used to give individual players autonomy).


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