By Pat Grecco

Good: What is good about the college transfer portal? It means that if players are unhappy in their present college/university, they can enter the transfer portal and receive scholarship offers at other schools, giving athletes more options. In the old days, prior to when the transfer portal started on October 15, 2018, it was a challenge for student-athletes to transfer from one school to another. Many times, they were forced to sit out a year before they could play at their new school. In 2012, the NCAA allowed a one-time transfer without sitting out a year and unlimited transfers in 2024. NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) plus the portal together made transferring much more common.
The window of opportunity for college soccer players opens November 17 and closed December 16 for women’s soccer. Men’s soccer is November 24 to December 23. The spring window for both men’s and women’s soccer is May 1 through May 15.
Why would a player want to transfer? Some of the reasons include:
- More playing time
- Playing at a higher level
- Potential increase in NIL opportunities
- Change of major
- Coaching changes
Bad: Drawbacks include entering an unfamiliar environment, potential loss of credits, loss of scholarship, competition in the transfer portal and noteworthy is half of all the athletes who enter the transfer portal each year do not end of up attending another school.
I had the opportunity to help a female soccer player who had just completed her sophomore at a D1 program, she was a defender, named Rookie of the Year as a freshman, starter and had an excellent GPA. Within 48 hours after entering the portal, she had seven offers from competitive D1 programs. She accepted an offer from a very competitive program and played there for two years, graduating recently.
Let’s talk men’s soccer and the transfer portal. Men’s D1 soccer transfer portal numbers (2025):
– 206 programs, ~9,600 total players
– 600–700 guys hit the portal each year (still 6–7% turnover)
– Coaches now hold 25–30% of roster spots specifically for transfers
– International players (30–35% of rosters) drive a lot of the movement
– Entries have more than doubled since 2018, went nuclear after the one-time transfer rule in 2021 and unlimited transfers in 2024.
Bottom line: The portal is the new #2 pipeline behind high school recruiting — and it’s only getting bigger!
Basketball and football, known as the revenue producing sports in the college scene, use the transfer portal in excess. I recently heard an interview with St. John’s University men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino say he would not be bringing any high school recruits but would be adding 4-5 recruits from the transfer portal. Because of the portal, coaches now look at rosters differently. Instead of projecting a 17- or 18-year-old high school kid’s potential — his/her frame, his work ethic, his heart — they look for players who are ready now. Proven bodies who have already been tested!
Divisions 2 and 3 use a much more flexible system, there is athletic scholarship money in D2 but none in D3. There are no restricted windows so D2 and D3 athletes can enter the transfer portal at any time during the year.
Ugly: What happens if a player enters the transfer portal and doesn’t get picked up?
If you enter the NCAA transfer portal and aren’t picked up, you risk losing your athletic scholarship, potentially needing to cover costs, and can end up in “portal purgatory,” without a team, possibly having to drop to lower divisions (D2, D3, NAIA, JUCO), walk-on, or even leave their sport, as the original school isn’t obligated to take you back, creating a tough spot with eligibility and finances. Strategies for the high school students, perhaps you were not recruited for the D1 programs you wanted, consider D2 or even D3 with a view to entering the portal after one or two years. NJCAA or 2-year colleges have always been considered as opportunities to move into D1 programs but be sure you select a competitive program that gets to post season.
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Pat Grecco is an Eastern New York and Long Island Junior Soccer League Hall of Famer who is CEO of the College-Bound Athlete Scholarship Service. For more info and a free 30-minute consultation, log on to www.collegeboundathlete.com or contact Pat directly at 631-988-7746 or soccervol@aol.com
With over 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/






















