Do you understand the NCAA Transfer Portal?

Michael Strange: Welcome back to recruiting from the bleachers. I'm your host, Michael Strange. And today we're going to dive into a subject that's near and dear to everyone's heart right now because it's on front burner. ⁓ going to dive into the topic of the transfer portal just a little bit. And I ⁓ this would be a good time to do it. I wanted the ⁓ to settle, if you will, from all of the championships that have taken place. The transfer portal has opened and closed as of the recording of this particular So I know it's exciting, it's stressful, it's full of opportunity, and it's full of reality checks. Let me start with some facts. The real NCAA data across football and basketball, over 3,200 football players entered the portal this past cycle. And listen, 70 % of them will find a new team. That means that 30%, almost 1,000 of them will not find a new team. And I've talked to some of those athletes that have not been picked up yet. And they're stressed. With men's basketball, almost 5,000, the collegiate board have entered the transfer portal. Over 2,600 of those have been from Division I or the Power Four schools. So 70 % of them will probably get picked up. And on average, 30 % will not, roughly 25 to 30 % will not. 1,500 student athletes will not get picked up. On the women's basketball side, it's a little less, but about 2,500 student athletes have entered the portal and that's across the collegiate board. And again, 25 ⁓ 30 % of them will not get picked up. That's about, that's almost 1,000 student athletes that won't reach another athletic home. Transferring can be both good and bad. For some situations, it is absolutely necessary. that the student athlete transfers. It could be for various reasons, the environment, the coaching staff, it could be for various things. But right now we're at a point where it can almost just simply boil down to money. Where can I get more money? And we have to be really cautious and careful about that because not every student athlete is talented enough, first of all, to go into the portal and expect to go someplace better. Second of all, not every student athlete will receive NIL money. Then there's nothing wrong with that. Student athletes should have the opportunity to make some money as well with the NCAA doing all that it's done throughout the years. It's time for the student athlete to partake in some of the profits of the NCAA benefits and revenues that it gains through all the revenue sharing and all of the television deals and all the sponsorships. So it's time for the student athletes to reap some of that benefit as well. But you have to be really careful. Again, that 30 % of those student athletes will not get picked up. And that's across the board, be it men's sports, women's sports. So what happens to them? They're gonna end up at home staring at their mom or dad or sad and depressed. So what do they do next? Most athletes, well over 80%, will not receive significant NIL money. A small percentage of high-profile athletes get major deals, of course. The majority receive little. or none. That's the part that nobody puts in the Instagram announcement. No one talks about that. Now let's talk about the athlete who was thriving in school A hits the portal and then the phone goes silent. This is where the emotional side kicks in. The ego takes a hit. The identity gets shaken. The everybody wants me moment becomes wait, does anybody want me? And now they have to figure out plan B and they have to figure it out fast. Sometimes the portal is like breaking up with somebody before you know if the next person will even like you. Funny until it's your kid. This isn't just a theory for me. I've lived this as a parent as well. My daughter played division one women's basketball. She played, she worked hard, she competed, she represented her school extremely well. And when she graduated from the first school she attended, she made a decision to enter the transfer portal to complete her last year of eligibility. She had an extra year due to the COVID situation, the pandemic. So she entered the portal and really for a few weeks, we didn't hear much of anything. As we got closer to season, then we started to get a little more activity through the transport portal and people started calling. So she finished her final year at an HBCU here in the Southeast and was very happy. But it came a day because my daughter ⁓ playing basketball. But there came that one day when she finally turned to me and said, I don't want to play this anymore. And wife and I, response was, it's on you. If you're ready to move on, then that's understandable as well. But she had to make a decision and she stepped into corporate America. And because she had a degree, some connections, she's thriving now. Why? Because she had that marketing degree that opened the door for her, that basketball alone could not just open. She was very disciplined. She was team oriented. She has very good communication skills, which was sharpened through sports. And it translated very well into her current career. So sports played a major part in her development as a person. It played a major role in her being able to survive in corporate America because you have to be a team player. So it's benefited her. But we, as parents, pushed the academic side of things so that she could, we knew at some point. She was gonna come to us and say, it's time to move on. Then there's my son. He didn't go to college for sports, he went for drama. His abilities are singing, dancing, he acts very well. And here's where the numbers tell an even more incredible story. Listen, less than one to two percent of professionally trained actors will ever perform on Broadway in their lifetime. One to two percent. And there are, there are, Millions of people that want to perform on Broadway, millions that go to New York. Now he has relationships with some of the top actors in the country, in the world. If I named some of them, you know who they are. But he established those connections because of his education. We helped him along the way. He trusted the process. His agent was very good. But he was able to make that now work on his behalf. Now he's in law school. He's making the degree work for him. So two kids, two different paths, but here's one truth. Education carried them further than any single activity ever could. Whether that activity was basketball, football, or Broadway, that academic education is extremely, extremely important. And I don't want us forget that as we see the transport port. portal and all of the excitement around the NIL money and it's all new territory for all of us. This is all new territory for everyone right now. So it's the new thing right now is to transfer and go somewhere and make a lot of money. And I'll be honest with you. Some of you know this about me. Some of you don't. I am a career banker. So I have dealt with and built neighborhoods and towns and cities and you name it. I have probably financed it and knowing the business side money. will tell you this. And never forget this, money has an ebb and a flow. Sometimes you have a lot of it and sometimes you don't, but you have to keep moving forward. And this is where I want to bring in one of the greatest examples of all time, and that's Magic Johnson. Magic once said that during his playing days, he spent time teaching business owners about basketball. And those same business owners turned around and taught him about business. He traded basketball knowledge for business knowledge. And that exchange helped him become one of the most successful athlete entrepreneurs in history to this day. Of course, there's Michael Jordan as well. He had helped developing on the business side of things as well. Here's the part that every parent and student athlete needs to hear clearly. And I've said this in previous episodes before. 100 % of student athletes have the opportunity to earn a degree. The degree absolutely matters. because only 1 to 2 % of NCAA athletes will go pro. 1 to 2 % will ever go pro. So what does that degree actually give you? It's going to give you three things. That degree gives you access. More jobs require a degree just to get in the door. Number two, it helps you develop a network. Teammates, coaches, professors, alumni, that's a lifelong advantage that you'll have because you went to school to get the degree. The third thing that'll give you is stability. Sports ends, seasons end, careers change, but education, will always travel with you, whether you live in country A or country B, that education is going to help you. So over the next few months and weeks, we have some awesome guests coming in, some awesome interviews with several individuals, several coaches, athletes. both pro athletes and semi-pro athletes and former athletes. Some of our previous guests are gonna be back with us as well, so I'm really excited over the next few weeks, next few months, we're gonna have some awesome interviews and to the discussions, we're going to discuss the aspects of being a student athlete that a lot of people don't talk about. We also have another book on the horizon, so be on the lookout for that. Don't forget to hit the like button. and share this content with other parents or student athletes that could benefit from this information. To all of my subscribers, be on the lookout for some specials that we're working on just for you. So don't forget to keep watching Recruiting From The Bleachers. We'll talk about all of that and we'll talk to some people who have had some success with their student athletes on a major level. We're digging into the 1 % that was actually able to make it to the pros. You actually heard from Kelly Green, whose son Quincy is playing for the New Orleans Saints right now. We've got another set of parents coming in that they're going to talk about their athlete become very successful in the pro arena. So I'm really excited about bringing that information to you and helping us all to become better and helping our student athletes to reach success. And remember this, from the bleachers to the big leagues to the boardroom, let's keep cheering and steering our student athletes on to success. because the ball stops bouncing for everybody at some point, but the opportunities don't have to stop bouncing for you. We'll see you next time.