Entering the Transfer Portal: College Athletics’ New Reality

Evaluating its impact for Santa Clara

The college athletics scene you grew up with is no longer. Student athletes transfer in and out of schools like party hoppers on Bellomy every Saturday afternoon, and what was once a mainstay in relationship-building has slid back with the thought of playing time elsewhere or name, image,and likeness (NIL) opportunities. But how is this trend affecting Santa Clara athletics?

Naturally, there have been graduate transfers over the years, but those student athletes have already earned their degrees. At that point, they would move on to the next chapter of their careers or to a masters program that Santa Clara might not carry. If the university doesn’t offer their desired program, the athlete must move to a different school, and is still allowed to play sports. 

The progression of aging out of college sports is normal. However, what has risen in prominence–and in consequence–is the number of transfers after one to two years at a school. 

At the start of April, On3, a college athletics recruiting website, reported that there were 1,100 players that have entered the college basketball transfer portal. Santa Clara men’s basketball was no different in this regard. Jaden Bediako graduate transferred to Seton Hall; Parker Braun is currently in the portal as a graduate transfer; Jacob Holt transferred to Sacramento State; Giordan Williams transferred to Montana and Carlos Stewart transferred to Louisiana State University (LSU). This is all on top of Brandin Podziemski declaring for the NBA draft and Keshawn Justice running out of college eligibility.

That’s the whole starting five from last year’s Broncos team gone in a snap. But that’s the reality of this new era of college athletics. Players who were recruited in high school may not make it to the finish line and look to go elsewhere. Couple that with name, image and likeness (NIL) developments across the country, and players may be looking in other places solely on the basis of lost profits from those changes. NIL efforts across the country help facilitate college athletes getting paid, with bigger athletic schools like the University of Alabama having a leg up on schools like Santa Clara.

Despite all the departures, Santa Clara has had to look at the transfer portal to recruit players in order to carve the identity of the 2023-2024 team. Men’s basketball Head Coach Herb Sendek already has one major plus from the past from that side of recruiting with the success of Podziemski and is looking to build off of it.

The Broncos picked up Tyeree Bryan from Charleston Southern, Jalen Benjamin from Mt. St Mary’s, Francisco Caffaro from Virginia, Adama Bal from Arizona and Johnny O'Neil from American University, meaning tons of new faces in new uniforms and a new environment. 

But that’s the reality of college athletics in this era. You have to adapt or you get left behind. Santa Clara looks to be adjusting well to this shift in recruiting, but only time will tell if they can continue to keep it up.

Welcome to the new age. The transfer portal will give and take like no other, and the teams you are fond of will have more turnover than you would’ve thought even five years ago.