Mike Glavine and the Northeastern staff have seven new transfers on this year’s roster. (Jim Pierce/Northeastern Athletics)
Watch any major college sporting event on television these days, and you’re bound to hear a discussion about the impact of the NCAA transfer portal.
Indiana won a national championship in football — not basketball — because its head coach was one step ahead of his colleagues when it comes to leveraging the portal.
The transfer craze has spread to baseball, with 6,249 players entering the portal in 2025. Almost 3,000 Division 1 players went looking for new schools.
At the highest level of college athletics, the transfer discussion revolves around money. Many Power Four conference players enter the portal each June, shopping their services to programs that have more money to offer through collectives and scholarships. The top college athletes get paid now, through name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. In those instances, the transfer portal serves as an opportunity for an athlete to become an unrestricted free agent.
