The Athletic on the First Day of the Winter Transfer Window

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Iceland12

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A total of 532 FBS scholarship players put their name in the NCAA transfer portal on Monday. That’s a 16 percent increase from last year’s opening day of portal activity. But that group of players — 304 from Power 5 programs, 228 from the Group of 5 — doesn’t come close to measuring the magnitude on Monday.

Because there were also nearly 100 walk-ons who entered the portal. And there were a whopping 421 players from FCS schools who also opted to transfer..

Add up every college football player who appeared in the transfer portal over the course of Monday, and you get a grand total of 1,127. That represents a 44 percent increase from the previous record-setting day of 780 entries on Dec. 5, 2022.

In the next few days, the number of FBS scholarship players available in the transfer portal will surpass 1,000. How packed is the transfer portal after all of Monday’s entries? Here’s a breakdown of the 901 uncommitted scholarship players by position:

Quarterbacks: 85
Running backs: 78
Wide receivers: 149
Tight ends: 51
Offensive linemen: 136
Defensive linemen: 104
Linebackers: 100
Defensive backs: 174
Specialists: 24

Eleven FBS programs lost double-digit scholarship players to the portal on Monday. South Carolina led the way with 15 players moving on after a 5-7 season, though only three of them started games this season. NC State, Vanderbilt and Western Michigan all lost 14 on the day, and Cincinnati was right behind them at 13.

Only two Power 5 programs have had zero underclassmen enter the transfer portal so far in this cycle: Michigan and Northwestern. Who’s got it better than them?..

He pointed to Kent State wide receiver Trell Harris as one example. The sophomore wideout did not put up big stats (26 catches, 399 yards, one TD) on a 1-11 team this season, but there’s a lot to like about his talent on tape. Pitt offered within the first half hour that he was in the portal. Eight more schools quickly followed.

For players like Harris, tweeting out that first Power 5 offer can really get the ball rolling and put you on the radar for many more. If you think you’ve discovered a hidden gem, you’re not going to be able to keep them a secret for long..

theathletic.com

What we learned from the transfer portal's busiest day ever

A total of 532 FBS scholarship players put their name in the NCAA transfer portal on Monday, a day that is 'more terrifying than exciting.'
theathletic.com theathletic.com
 

It’s tough for me to see any significant percentage of these even attaining lateral moves. There will some of course. Some that do move up.

But a lot of these are moving down in level and frankly a lot who never really had a chance of attracting attention and just did it to be hopeful, and won’t be picked up at all.
 

MplsGopher said:
It’s tough for me to see any significant percentage of these even attaining lateral moves. There will some of course. Some that do move up.

But a lot of these are moving down in level and frankly a lot who never really had a chance of attracting attention and just did it to be hopeful, and won’t be picked up at all.
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Oh the majority probably won't. The difference is they'll get the chance to try and do it. Much to the distress of their coaches and their fans who wish they'd just sit on the bench and wait for their chance to play. Something that very seldom happened in the past.

Bet that's what the majority of the transfers are all about.
 
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MplsGopher said:
It’s tough for me to see any significant percentage of these even attaining lateral moves. There will some of course. Some that do move up.

But a lot of these are moving down in level and frankly a lot who never really had a chance of attracting attention and just did it to be hopeful, and won’t be picked up at all.
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Read somewhere that close to 40% don't end up landing anywhere, and of those who do close to 40% do not get scholarships. I think after several years of this happening, the number entering should begin to tail off...but who knows?
 

The walk-ons who are transferring from P5/G5 schools (such as Wyatt Schroeder and Max Grande of the U) are probably hoping to rekindle to FBS offers they declined back in HS recruiting days. Hope they can.
 


After December 4, here are the transfer portal number for each current B1G team:

East:
Michigan: 0 out; 0 in
Ohio State; 10 out; 0 in
Penn State: 2 out; 0 in
Maryland: 5 out; 0 in
Michigan State 15 out; 0 in
Rutgers: 8 out; 0 in
Indiana: 22 out; 0 in

West:
Iowa: 5 out; 0 in (Petras, an "out" has committed to Utah State)
Wisconsin: 7 out; 0 in
Northwestern: 3 out; 0 in
Minnesota: 7 out; 1 in
Illinois: 6 out; 1 in
Nebraska: 1 out; 0 in
Purdue: 19 out; 0 in

New:
Washington: 0 out; 0 in
Oregon: 4 out; 0 in
USC: 8 out; 0 in
UCLA: 6 out; 0 in

Not going to try to draw conclusions. The variance is pretty interesting. Gophers are at about the average.
 
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Gophergrandpa said:
After December 4, here are the transfer portal number for each current B1G team:

East:
Michigan: 0 out; 0 in
Ohio State; 10 out; 0 in
Penn State: 2 out; 0 in
Maryland: 5 out; 0 in
Michigan State 15 out; 0 in
Rutgers: 8 out; 0 in
Indiana: 22 out; 0 in

West:
Iowa: 5 out; 0 in (Petras, an "out" has committed to Utah State)
Wisconsin: 7 out; 0 in
Northwestern: 3 out; 0 in
Minnesota: 7 out; 1 in
Illinois: 6 out; 1 in
Nebraska: 1 out; 0 in
Purdue: 19 out; 0 in

Not going to try to draw conclusions. The variance is pretty interesting.
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Curious as to what's happening at Purdue. It makes you wonder if the coach is looking to turn the roster or if players aren't on the same page with the new coach.
 

Panthadad2 said:
Curious as to what's happening at Purdue. It makes you wonder if the coach is looking to turn the roster or if players aren't on the same page with the new coach.
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Not mutually exclusive alternatives. Indiana is pretty interesting, too.
 

I figure it like this too. If my team sucked (and mine mostly did), I don't mind a lot of portal activity because I can more quickly turn the team around. More like NFL free agency. You can be 3-13 one year and 10-6 the next.
 



Sparlimb said:
I figure it like this too. If my team sucked (and mine mostly did), I don't mind a lot of portal activity because I can more quickly turn the team around. More like NFL free agency. You can be 3-13 one year and 10-6 the next.
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From a fan standpoint (mine), I don't care about transfers in or out. I care about winning only. IF I was the parent of one of these athletes, I would have them (the athlete) consider ALL of the ramifications of what they are doing. If my kid had a scholly and then decided to go portaling and ended up standing when the music stopped, I would be pissed. At the athlete. Hey dumb arse (child of mine), what were you thinking???? The best college degree is the free one. Also, you ain't going pro kid.
 

There is lots of NIL money out that among the very top teams. But there isn't that much NIL money in total, given the number of transfer players + HS recruits (the top ones also commanding big NIL money). Most NIL money will be going only to the very top transfer players and HS recruits. Smaller amounts of NIL money might go to some next tier transferees. But teams (such as those in the Gophers' position) have to shepherd their limited NIL assets to keep the best rostered players on board, leaving only so much for bidding for transferees. Thus, I expect that the vast majority of portal transferees are moving either to play on a bigger stage, or to get more playing time, or to get a fresh start (none of which bring much in the way of NIL dollars). And a huge number of players in the portal won't even land a new place to play (without dropping to FCS); NIL is meaningless to this group.
 

If you don't like your current job, you can choose to look for a different job - assuming that you have enough confidence in your skills and abilities that you will be able to find a situation you like better.

that is how I see the portal. If a player is not satisfied with his current situation for whatever reason, they can choose to look for something different. obviously, there are no guarantees. but if you have enough confidence in yourself, go for it.

the key is being realistic about your own skills and abilities.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
If you don't like your current job, you can choose to look for a different job - assuming that you have enough confidence in your skills and abilities that you will be able to find a situation you like better.

that is how I see the portal. If a player is not satisfied with his current situation for whatever reason, they can choose to look for something different. obviously, there are no guarantees. but if you have enough confidence in yourself, go for it.

the key is being realistic about your own skills and abilities.
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Most people don’t quit their job before searching. Major difference.
 



MplsGopher said:
It’s tough for me to see any significant percentage of these even attaining lateral moves. There will some of course. Some that do move up.

But a lot of these are moving down in level and frankly a lot who never really had a chance of attracting attention and just did it to be hopeful, and won’t be picked up at all.
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An analogous situation to me, is when HS ballers could declare for the NBA draft; some worked out -KG, Kobe and Dwight Howard, while many didn’t, including when McHale selected the HS from Houston with the [18th pick in the first round - bonus points if anyone remembers his name.

After a while, that leveled out, as those guys wised up and realized when playing musical chairs. You don’t always get one.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
An analogous situation to me, is when HS ballers could declare for the NBA draft; some worked out -KG, Kobe and Dwight Howard, while many didn’t, including when McHale selected the HS from Houston with the [18th pick in the first round - bonus points if anyone remembers his name.

After a while, that leveled out, as those guys wised up and realized when playing musical chairs. You don’t always get one.
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Doody Ebi
 

The guy in the Transfer Portal for the Gophers that seems out of place: Zach Evans. He was a good runner and could have been the spare (in a pair and a spare). He's now considering Kent State (1-11 MAC) and UCONN (3-9 Ind). That grass is definitely not greener.
 
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Rescooter said:
The guy in the Transfer Portal for the Gophers that seems out of place: Zach Evans. He was a good runner and could have been the spare (in a pair and a spare). He's now considering Kent State (1-11 MAC) and UCONN (3-9 Ind). That grass is definitely not greener.
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Unless he's just looking for more playing time?
 


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