In college football, a player can transfer or commit to another team during the offseason. The transfer portal is the period of time when players are allowed to switch teams. A rule changed in 2020 where players who transferred schools could immediately be eligible to play for their new team. This has caused major problems with players constantly switching schools to get better NIL deals.
Players now switch schools often, which makes it hard for teams to build strong chemistry. Coaches also struggle because they never know who will stay or leave each season. Due to this, the transfer portal has made college football less balanced, with coaches worrying over who will stay and who will leave each offseason. This has caused a major problem of disloyalty among college players.
The benefit of transferring schools is either to get more playing time by moving to a smaller school or getting more money by moving to a bigger school with more boosters. The best players in the nation are constantly switching schools in search of Name Image and Likeness (NIL) sponsorships, which favors teams with more money. Backup players often move to lower market schools like Division II programs so they can get noticed by recruiters. This starts a cycle of players moving around to better their chances of reaching the NFL.
The transfer portal has the largest impact on the “Bowl Season,” with transferring athletes often sitting out bowl games to avoid injury in hopes of keeping their transfer value. The best example of this came in a 2023 bowl game between #5 ranked Florida State and the #6 ranked Georgia Bulldogs.
The game was supposed to be close because the teams were ranked only one spot apart. However, 24 of Florida State’s players that saw regular playing time sat out of the game, including seven for the draft and 17 for the transfer portal. 13 of these players were starters, which accounts for over half of the team. Florida State lost this game 63-3, which shows the impact the transfer portal had on this game, and many others alike.
College football has not always been this way, and star players did not often transfer schools. Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson are all NFL MVP candidates year in and year out. They all went to small market schools that had low funding and few boosters. This proves that moving schools to get more money does not translate to success in the NFL.
However, there has been a serious swing that started five years ago. All of the quarterbacks taken in the first round of the last two drafts have played for two or more teams throughout their college careers, with the exception of two players.
The change began in 2021, when the NCAA allowed players to be paid for NIL, and players were allowed unlimited transfers. Since then, 20% of NCAA D1 scholarship athletes enter the portal each offseason. In 2020, around 1500 players entered the portal, and in 2021 over 1,000 more players transferred, a 60% increase.
Each year the problem keeps getting worse. In 2026, nearly 4,500 Division 1 athletes entered the portal, which is 30% of all athletes, and the portal has been open for less than a month.
Since players transfer so much, coaches such as James Franklin believe it hurts athletes’ development. “I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the student-athlete, I don’t think it’s in the best interest of college football,” he said to the Associated Press. When players switch teams they have to learn new playbooks, coaching styles, and daily routines, which can be major setbacks when trying to make it to the NFL.
Former Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban said while on College Gameday that the portal is causing players to focus on their value right now, not for the future. “On the development side of it, it is not beneficial to players. I think people learn in the process of development what they have to do to get better so they can compete. Now guys are looking to “Where can I develop value right now, today?” College athletes are focusing on where they can transfer to make the most money rather than focusing on building themselves up for the future.
Finally, LSU Head Coach Lane Kiffin says the portal is becoming a problem and there needs to be a solution. “But in general, it’s gotten out of control. It’s not good for college football. Something’s got to be fixed.” This is also important coming from the coach of LSU, which is a valued program that benefits heavily from transferring athletes.
The best solution for players sitting out of games should be that players with NIL contracts will not be paid unless they play every game they are physically able. This will keep the excitement of bowl games that have little importance to a team’s season.
The best solution to the problem of players transferring too often should be that when players make an NIL contract, they are signed to a certain number of years with the team, like a professional contract.
Altogether, the transfer portal has transformed college football because it negatively affects competitive balance and player development. Player freedom is important, but the existing system puts more emphasis on short-term money as opposed to long-term growth.
