My statement had nothing to do with the player. It comes across to me as a player being sold a false situation and once she got there discovered it was a bad environment so she left.
How do you know that? Lol. Are you her? Or her father? It’s tiresome people throwing around accusations that they think they know the truth about. Unless you are there, you have no clue. And what do you mean by fake bill of goods? Offered a chance to play and it didn’t pan out? Was she offered a fake bill at UNC too? You just seem to have a personal gripe with this person (who I don’t know). An internal investigation could be as simple as someone alleged a coach said something that may or may not even be true. But they need to look into everything. Let’s see how it shakes out.
Seems like the data for number of players in the ncaa transfer portal is available. I have heard people say it's full and crazy. Do you think it was this way before the protal but there was no way to track it?
I know of a few players that completed their undergraduate studies and are starting post-graduate studies elsewhere. Some of the players in the portal are due to that. One that I’m aware of graduated from D3 WashU and is starting post-grad studies at Minnesota. She is a hell of a defender and will make an impact. A lot of this is due to the extra year that was granted.
Following up on my post ^, I would be curious to know what the number of transfers are that are 5th years or graduates. It would be interesting to see what percentage of the total players in the transfer portal are those players.
According to the report, there are 909 women’s soccer players who were in the portal in 2021 (up from 671 in 2020). This is the 2nd highest number for women behind basketball. Of the 909, 24% were looking to be graduate students (up from 10% in 2020). Overall, 11% of all athletes entered the portal and, in women’s sports other than basketball, there was 57% chance they matriculated at a new school. One other interesting number across all sports is that a player on athletics aid found a new home 61% of the time (10% didn’t get money at new school). On the other hand, students not on athletics aid only found new homes 37% of the time (18% of those found athletics aid).
Post #67 on this thread from Dec - today there are 1,051 names for women's soccer in the transfer portal. 343 are "5th years" or seeking graduate credits. 756 are Division 1 (of those 285 are 5th years). The total is now 1233. 873 are D1, of those 320 are 5th years/grad students
NCAA is adding a 2-factor login for the portal this week. Assume they don't like media folks and sportsbooks knowing when college athletes enter the portal. Currently in WS (clearly not the reason for MFA!) 1400 total (421 are 5th years) D1 only is 975 and 340 are 5th years
What are the overall odds of being picked up in the transfer portal? Are there stats from past years of total who entered and how many were eventually picked up by a new coach? And what happens to those that are not — are they generally able to continue playing at their current schools? Having gone through the transfer experience with my d in D3, I am amazed at the differences between the divisions. It seems like in D3 players have more control over their fates than in D1 where the coaches have most of the control.
My kid is at a midmajor. Her coach has told the entire team repeatedly over the last two years that if they want to transfer, there's the door, he'll help them leave but the moment they enter the portal, they are gone and done. Meaning, they are no longer part of the team, turn in your gear, move on in life. That's the same I've heard from others that once a player enters the portal, their HC/athletics can/will remove them from the team.
I suspect that some coaches might be flexible if a /good/ player decides to enter and then has second thoughts about leaving--meaning a good player might be welcomed back, after she reconsiders her decision, but not a marginal player.
That is a dangerous precedent to set. You can go shopping, but if you don't like it come on back. Every top player from then on would think about doing the same (go test the portal, and coach will take you back).
This is a good question without a clear answer really. I'm not sure anyone has done an analysis with the data. You assume the NCAA folks are watching closely but I'd be curious to know as well. Just - -how many kids get into the portal and do not actually transfer, how many of them continue to play at the first school? how many do transfer but do not play at their next school? Many more questions to consider. And the portal is still not required of D3 athletes. They can still "self release" and do not have to be in the portal. I'm not even sure d3 schools are required to put kids in who request it. They don't sign a NLI or scholarship agreement so it's always been easier to walk away in d3. There are really so many variables that it is hard to predict. Definitely, as described already, very many coaches want the player to feel like they are walking the plank. There's no coming back from entering the portal. I also know many examples where the first coach helps the player find a new home. Is there a family issue, an academic major you don't have, is the player really just not playing and needs to move down a level? I know a kid who transferred to play for her dad who had joined a staff at another school. It had zero to do with the first school. I think one of the only constants is that higher level players always have the most options. I'd love to find out how many emails a player gets in the portal correlated to their division and rpi and then maybe minutes played. Coaching changes and the 5th year eligibility issue are also interesting variables. Sorry it's not a nice solvable algebra equation. Not much in life is!
Transfer portal data: 2020 = 12,712 total DI entrants 2021 = 17,851 total DI entrants Graduate transfers increased from 23% in 2020 to 31 % in 2021 DI women's soccer: 2019 - 577 2020 - 671 (76% on athletic aid) (10% grad transfers) 2021 - 909 (80% on athletic aid) (24% grad transfers) WoSo was 5th on percentages of transfers on athletic aid of all women's sports DI men's soccer: 2019 - 666 2020 - 697 (51% on athletic aid) (14% grad transfers) 2021 - 755 (55% on athletic aid) (26% grad transfers) Men's soccer was 12th on percentages of transfers on athletic aid of all men's sports 54% of Division I student-athletes who entered the transfer portal in 2021 (and were not subsequently withdrawn) matriculated at an NCAA member school by January 10, 2022. While 61% of aided Division I athletes who entered the portal between Aug. 1, 2020 and July 31, 2021 matriculated at an NCAA school, only 37% of unaided students were found on an NCAA roster by January 2022. 51% of the aided Division I transfer portal entrants were able to transfer to another NCAA school and receive athletics aid; 18% of unaided entrants received athletics aid at an NCAA transfer destination. Top reasons for transfer by gender: Women's 1. Mental health and conflict with coach/teammates (tied at 66%) 2. Playing time/participation opportunities (36%) 3. Academics (20%) Men's 1. Playing time/participation opportunities (45%) 2. Mental health (40%) 3. Conflict with coach/teammates (37%) Likely to transfer at some point this year (percent of participants who answered as "somewhat likely" or "very likely"): DI - 8% men and 10% women DII - 9% men and 8% women DIII - 5% men and 4% women
This is great information @ThePonchat Thanks for sharing. If I'm reading this correctly, only half of scholarship d1 athletes stayed on a scholarship when they transferred. So 50/50 to even keep your athletic aid. And 2/3 of female athletes cited mental health and/or conflicts with their team as a reason for transferring. Alot of interesting questions for discussion or research
I don’t think the process is necessarily this punitive. the reality is that when you enter the Portal the likelihood that your money gets offered to the next prospect in line is pretty high. They aren’t going to wait to see how your particular portal experience plays out. The coach you are leaving knows about both sides of the transfer portal. No coach is going to leave scholarship money unused either to fill out the roster or to not get the AD used to the idea that your program can get by with less money.
Completely agree with this. Very many coaches watch the portal often and carefully. They are all not necessarily saving money to use on transfers (some are though for sure). But if a player suddenly leaves your program, the coach may quickly get into the portal and see who's out there looking. They may find a better transfer in the portal then they would find among uncommitted 22s (HS seniors for the next year) certainly on short notice. If the player leaving was younger and so expected to have money in 23 or 24, the coach can shift that money to recruits in those later years but then use the current money on rising Seniors. I am very sure there are players on the college team who see a player with money leave late in the year and then realize the coach now has some extra cash for them (when they may have said they didn't before). As you said, the coach would rather use that money on a rising Sr for next year then let the boss take it for another team or just cut it. Lots of moving parts but one of the revealing things about the data posted earlier- 2/3 of kids in the portal are pretty unhappy at the first school and only 1/2 get money. Plenty of players just want to get to someplace new and different to 'start over' regardless of the money sometimes. Very cautionary for parents and I've made this point often - academic money is almost always harder to get for transfers then for new first-year students. So in all divisions, transferring often comes with a higher pricetag, unless you are specifically leaving a pricey private school to go back to your local or regional state school. Parents do love that sometimes- closer and cheaper! Again, I'd suggest this take about athletic money is specific to women's soccer. I'd think most BB and FB kids in D1 all expect to keep their scholarship.
There are six sports in D1 that are ‘full ride’ only. A coach can’t divide scholarship money amongst players. You either get a ful scholarship or nothing. These sports are Football Men’s Basketball Women’s Basketball Women’s Gymnastics Tennis Volleyball but even in these sports, once you enter the portal you can expect no more money from your current school. Some will give you to the end of the semester. Some just stop your money. Entering the portal is a full severing of your scholarship ties to the current school. If you decide to come back you might have to do it as a walkon. In this respect these sports give a coach less flexibility your scholarship might be gone by the time you decide to come back and a coach in those sports can’t cobble together some scholarship money by taking a little money from a few other players on the team. In soccer, a coach can divide the money for 14 scholarships between 14 or 40 players. Schools also try to get non-athletic money to players through various means such as Pell grants academic scholarships, or needs scholarships and loans. One of the criteria for these sources is that these be available to all students equally or they are considered athletic money. The reality,, however, is that they often go disproportionally to athletetes. And some states have laws that athletes are entitled to have their tuition counted as in-state, saving out of state athletes the difference. So an athlete in those states still gets a reduction in tuition if he/she comes back from the portal. That alone may be enough. Florida even provides all scholarship athletes $4000-$6000 “cost of attendance” money to every scholarship athlete.And at some schools that subsidize most of a student’s tuition ( I.e. the Ivies and Stanford) a coach only has to come up with the usually nominal portion most student pay and not the full scholarship amount.. even that can be covered by an endowed scholarship if a student meets needs or other criteria. These can often be surprising. Some well endowed schools have endowed scholarships for people with certain last names, ethnicities, nationalities, or other criteria. As a fun example, Harvard, for instance, can offer a scholarship to people with the names Anderson, Baxendale, Borden, Bright, Downer, Pennoyer and Murphy, no idea how many athletes have had those names.
Transfer Portal Timing Question: I am father of a freshman at a mid-major who was red-shirted this past fall. She is looking for a better fit – for both academics and athletics. She is looking to change major and current location does not offer a strong program in that field. She is a quality player who is being told that she will get quite a bit of playing time and potentially start this next fall season. Lack of playing time this past year mostly had to do with returning 5th year players at her position. Since she was red-shirted – she does not have a lot of game film or exposure for the past 9 months. Her spring season begins in a week and she should be able to get updated videos – but against mostly lesser? competition in a scrimmage format. She understands that any move at this point would be a lateral move at best in regards to soccer programs – but that is potentially OK because she is also focused on long term academic goals as well. She is considering entering the portal after this spring season – but we are debating if that timing would be the best. Is there a preferred time to enter the portal – which we are guessing would be just after the fall season – when most programs will have roster spots available and more scholarship funds to allocate? Would the down side to entering the portal at that time is that is when everyone else is as well – so she would be competing against a larger number of players trying to find a new home? Or is there some advantage to entering the portal later this spring if she has a good spring season and is able to document that? I am trying to help her assemble a list of pros / cons in regards to her options moving forward – goals being to maximize opportunities and minimize risk/expense – as her current situation is favorable based upon very low out of pocket cost (receiving both academic and athletic scholarships that may disappear with any move).
I empathize with you. I wasn't happy when the extra eligibility was granted to 5th years. On my daughter's team, all but one returned as a 5th year/Grad student. One graduated and the rest left their masters programs after a semester- meaning they stayed for another season of soccer. (And they actually had a 18 game season in the spring so they weren't shorted.) Incredibly frustrating for anyone younger. My kid asked me about the portal the other day because grad school is around the corner and she will have the eligibility for it. I think the most important thing to do is to act like they're in high school again and build a list. Compare the schools, compare the locations, compare what she sees about the teams. Albiet she can't contact the schools, she can narrow down the schools, visit quietly, etc. I think one of the most important conversations to have though is that she is not to discuss leaving with anyone. If she is potentially staying through the fall season, no one needs to know. Not her roomie, not her team, not her academic advisor, no one. There should be no social media posts about it. There should be no social media posts of a 'road trip' to so and so for no reason. And depending on her team environment, if her location is on via Snap to ANY of her teammates, it needs to be turned off. A seemingly innocent tweet, pic, etc that might possibly imply that she's looking elsewhere can be held against her. Don't put it past a teammate who needs a leg up to use it to their advantage.
Sounds like Academics is the priority so you'll probably need to step down athletically - either to a lower D1 program or even D2/3 state school if you need financial assistance. TBH you'd be lucky to have another mid-major give her a equal scholarship if she didn't play at her current school. A roster spot, sure, but a scholarship on par with what she has now...very unlikely. Not clear on when you're looking to transfer - if it is for this coming fall, get in ASAP. If it is for next Spring, get in as soon as the season is over. Hard conversation to have with coach, especially if the fall goes well - but they will appreciate it. It gives you more time to find the new school and the coach more time to find a replacement player. Don't worry about "competition" from other players in the portal. Good luck!
Common sense would say that if she wants an athletic scholarship she needs to get some playing time and stats under her belt at the current school. So playing the fall season makes sense. Also, very few schools will have scholarship money available late spring/summer. There is more movement in December, after the fall season, so likely more money available. But, ultimately it involves some timing luck with the program she wants to attend.
Very difficult decision whenever you decide to get into the portal. My daughter went into the portal mid-January. In previous years her current coach allowed portal kids to continue to practice with the team in the spring(coach changed this)so now my daughter is not playing. I feel that she is very lucky-transferred from a mid-major to another mid-major. She was receiving both academic and athletic money at current school and was offered athletic money at new school(in the fall) equal to first scholarships. I think right place at the right time and a very needed position at new school. Freshman(371 minutes),Sophomore(692 minutes) so she did have play time to show new schools. Again, very difficult decision for any athlete. My daughter was just not happy with everything at her first school(coaches, soccer, other players and even the school) I am crossing my fingers that this next journey will be an enjoyable one. Good luck!