Navigating the New Normal: The Transfer Portal’s Impact on Your Recruiting Journey

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In 2025 the new normal means that high school athletes and families must navigate the transfer portal, because it will have an impact on your recruiting journey.

The transfer portal has not only made transferring easier for athletes at the college level, it's also made it more common. It has become a safety-net for both college coaches and athletes. College coaches now assume athletes will go in the portal and athletes now openly discuss transferring in the locker room, not as a threat or because they are disappointed in their current situation, but because they can. Every athlete has their own reasons for wanting to transfer, but the transfer portal has made a lasting impact on college athletics.

Because of the safety net the portal creates, the recruiting timeline has changed dramatically. I talked about this several years ago, after the portal was introduced and that timeline still looks the same today. If you'd like to read more about that, go HERE. In general, a non-specific date has been created where college coaches are now going, "let's wait for the portal and see what happens." They are no longer going after their 3rd or 4th athlete on their recruiting board. If they aren't getting one of their top choices, they simply wait to see what happens in the portal. Each school does this a little bit differently. Some D2 schools aren't really recruiting juniors or at least not heavily in the fall. They wait to see what holes they can fill in December and then go recruit the juniors they need in February of the next year. Everyone is using the portal in different ways, but ALMOST everyone is using it right now.

We've seen a HUGE increase in how many athletes commit "early" in June. This trend will only continue as college coaches and athletes continue to use the portal to their advantage. For more info on this, check out my YouTube video on this topic, HERE.

It's important to understand that the transfer portal is impacting ALL levels. D2 and D3 have been impacted by the portal as well as D1. There is a LOT of movement, especially in December. I don't think this means that there are "fewer" high school volleyball athletes getting recruited, although I'd love to see some of that data, but it does mean that there are probably fewer schools taking chances on athletes. Why risk recruiting a kid that isn't going to get better OR maybe they do get better and want to transfer somewhere else? How does that benefit you as the coach?

Because the portal is so easy to navigate for athletes and college coaches alike, things happen very quickly right now. Once athletes go in, they are either moving through the process quickly with schools, or they aren't moving at all. College coaches know exactly what they need and you're either it or you aren't. This means that you are risking a lot in the portal. There isn't really a way to know WHO will be looking for your position once you go into the portal. You might not get the options that you want or are expecting. Scholarships and roster spots at all levels are limited. It's important to remember that NOT every athlete that goes into the portal finds a home.

What can you do? (My opinion)

• Make sure that the portal is NOT your fallback option. It won't help you grow and develop into the athlete you need to at the college level.

• Have the right expectations - most freshman don't play. You have a lot of growing to do more often than not and the spring season is where a lot of that happens.

• Situations change, but be sure you're walking into a situation that you feel comfortable about.

• Remember that you're one of the 5% of athletes that are playing college volleyball across the country. It's highly competitive.