Sometimes, athletes commit to play college athletics at a college or university, but realize it isn’t the right place. The NCAA recognized this, and in the Fall of 2018, the transfer portal was introduced to athletics. Now, the time of the transfer portal is seen as chaotic amongst fans. 

To start, an athlete must alert his/her school of the intent to transfer, followed by a 48 hour window for the school’s compliance office to put the athlete’s name into the portal. In terms of college football, there are two windows to transfer. In terms of college football, according to Adam Hulse, the portal opened on December 4, 2023, and stayed open for 30 days. That was followed by a 15-day period in April.

If an athlete transfers in these windows, he/she will be immediately eligible at a new school. However, according to theathletic.com, a new rule states that if a player transfers for a second time, there is a certain set of criteria that must be met; if criteria is not met, the player might miss a full season. 

In a special edition of “Schiestel Speaks Sports”, host Ryan Schiestel sits down with Kieran Farrell, a junior on the SAU basketball team to discuss these rules, with Farrell voicing his opinions on the windows being “not enough time” for athletes. After a back and forth, each dove into other aspects of the transfer portal.

Though there are some positives about the transfer portal such as more playing time and a potential chance of playing at the next level, they found some different points of view. Farrell, for one, points out the “strained relationships coaches and players may have” if a transfer comes in, or the loss of playing time for athletes who stay loyal to their teams.

Another point made is the idea of a player coming in, and still having to battle for a spot. Overall, both found a rather grim look on the transfer portal as a whole.

Finally, Ryan and Kieran discuss high school athletes, and how the portal might affect the recruiting process of younger players now that coaches have developed a “win now” mentality. To conclude, Farrell and Ryan discussed our views on the future of the portal.

For a more in-depth listen, click the podcast above. Kieran and Ryan Schiestel discuss this on “Schiestel Speaks Sports”, the St. Ambrose University radio Show. All episodes of “Schiestel Speaks Sports” air live on KALA HD-2, 106.1 FM in the metro Quad Cities, starting at 6:30 P.M. Central Thursday nights. All opinions shared in this show are those of the host, and not necessarily those of KALA Radio or Saint Ambrose University.