Understanding The NCAA Transfer Portal

The Emergence of the Transfer Portal 

By Michael J. Smith, ForeCollegeGolf 

In October 2018, the NCAA modified the rules for transferring from “permission to contact” to “notification to transfer”, which has made it much easier for student-athletes to freely transfer from school to school.

Essentially, in order to initiate the transfer, all a player has to do is notify their athletic department they would like to transfer and within 48 hours the school is required to add them to the online transfer portal. The recent rule change removes the step where the Coach has to “give permission” for that player to speak with other schools. (note: It’s still important to speak with your Coach beforehand to inform them of your intentions and keep the relationship on good terms)

Surprisingly, since these changes took place, we’ve seen an 8% surge of players in the NCAA Transfer portal in all sports.

College Golf Transfers - By the Numbers 

During the third season of the online transfer portal, the 2020-2021 school year, the NCAA saw a significant uptick in the number of transfers in college golf.

Here’s proof…

In 2020-2021, there were 729 total transfers in golf! 487 of those were in Men’s golf and 242 were on the Women’s side.

In 2019-2020, there were 534 total transfers in golf, 346 of those were in Men’s golf and 188 were on the Women’s side.

In 2018-2019, before COVID-19 and the NCAA “Extention of Eligibility”, there were considerably fewer transfers, 359 total, 220 on the men’s side and 139 on the women’s side.

***In September 2022, the NCAA introduced 45-day Transfer Portal “windows” beginning the day after Championship selections are made for Division 1 Golf. Therefore, student-athletes wishing to transfer can only do so from December 1st - 15th and during the 45-day window in May.

NCAA Division I Transfer Process 

1. SA* asks Coach or School compliance administrator to be placed in the transfer portal, at which point the school has 2 business days to do so. 

2. Once in the portal, SA information is available to every NCAA Coach via the NCAA Apps website. 

3. Transfers are initially listed in the portal as “active”, but administrators must change that status to “matriculated” if the SA has officially transferred or “withdrawn” if the SA has changed his/her mind and plans on returning. 

4. While in the portal, SA’s are subject to their Coach reducing or taking away their athletics aid. (*Note: Once in the portal, SA’s can transfer anytime under the “one-time transfer exception rule” but if the SA is receiving athletic aid they can’t compete at their new school in the Spring in D1. Essentially if you are a D1 golfer on athletic-aid, you can’t compete on 2 different teams in the same season.)

*SA= student-athlete 

Transfer Rule – What’s changed?

• Players’ “power” vs. Coaches “power“ – players have more power than ever and control their own destiny 

• Transfers are visible – the online transfer portal is easy to access and helps streamline the process by being visible 24/7. 

• Online Portal – In the past, coaches didn’t know who was transferring so they didn’t call players looking to transfer. Now, Coaches have the online portal with NCAA ID #s and contact information at their fingertips. 

• Level(ed) playing field - Bigger schools have more recruiting “pull” but smaller schools will now have a clear picture of which SA’s are transferring and have the ability to make phone calls. 

  • TBD: Recruiting implications o Scholarship $ - Will there be enough $ for these transfers? 

  • Will the risk be worth the move? (ex. Player wants to transfer who is on 75% scholarship, and new school only has 30% to offer) 

• APR impact – programs are penalized if a player doesn’t finish a semester. Note: this will not affect players who transfer in between semesters. 

• Recruiting “eyes” – Coaches didn’t really look at the transfer portal as a viable way to recruit talent but now there will be many teams utilizing the portal as a way to obtain players. 

Notable transfers for 2020: 

To Florida – 

• • Carlos Bustos (SR) – transferring from Lynn, DII national champ 2x, top20 at Latin American Amateur 

• • Giovanni Manzoni (SR) – transferring from Lynn, DII 2nd Team All-American, 71.14 scoring average 

To Florida State University 

• • Vincent Norman (SR) – transferring from Georgia Southwestern 

• • Connor Futrell (JR) – transferring from Troy 

To UAB 

• • Drew Mathers (SR)– transferring from Huntingdon, Jack Nicklaus award finalist, 6 career wins, and top 3 in 10 of his last 12 events. 

To UCF 

• • Max O’ Hagan (SR)– transferring from Florida Tech, finished top8 in 6 of 7 starts. Was a finalist for the Jack Nicklaus award this year and was a semifinalist the past two seasons 

To Ohio State 

• • Elis Svard (SR)– transferring from Cal State – Monterey, top10 in all 6 starts, 5 career wins 

To Oklahoma 

• • Jonathan Brightwell (SR)– transferring from UNCG, 2 wins in 6 starts in 2019-2020 season 

To Oklahoma State 

• • Leo Oyo (SO)– transferring from San Diego State 

• • Eugenio Chacarra (SO)– transferring from Wake Forest  (*Now on LIV golf)

To Texas 

• • Hunter Ostrom (SR) – transferring from Notre Dame, posted the lowest season stroke average in program history with 70.68 strokes per round. Played in all 19 possible rounds. 

To South Florida 

• • Ian Peng (SO) – transferring from VCU 

To Florida Atlantic 

• • Davis Lamb (SR) – transferring from Notre Dame 

To Oregon 

• • Owen Avrit (FR) – transferring from Long Beach State 

To FCGU 

• • Frankie Capan (FR) – transferring from Alabama (now on Korn Ferry Tour)

What are Coaches saying about the transfer portal? 

“In my opinion, the transfer portal was not as big a deal in golf as other sports because we already had the one-time transfer rule which allowed players to transfer to another school and play immediately. However, now that we are living with Covid-19 and all current players were given an extra year of eligibility, I think the transfer portal will be an invaluable tool for golfers who are stuck in a logjam of players on swollen rosters looking for playing time. I think it will also be a boon for coaches looking for good players from higher-ranked programs that can’t offer enough playing time for all their athletes.”  J.T. Higgins, Head Coach, Southern California 

“There are Pros and Cons to the Transfer Portal. For the players and coaches, the portal provides an opportunity for a fresh start to those who need it. In my opinion, it will affect even junior golfers. Due to the pandemic, coaches have seen how easy it is to find really talented, more experienced players through the portal. Because of that, there’s not as much incentive to bring in a big freshman class.” Lee White, Head Coach, Florida Southern 

“I see the transfer portal as a positive tool for the student-athlete and the coach. It empowers the student-athlete in the transfer process. For the coach, it allows us to see who wants to transfer and how to contact them. If the student-athlete has already transferred or decides to stay at their current school, coaches can see that right away.” Grant Wallace, Head Coach, Kenyon College (DIII) 

If you are considering a transfer here’s my advice: 

• Write down your long-term vision – It’s imperative to acknowledge what you are looking for – ask yourself:

  • What am I really looking for? A better team environment, social culture, practice facilities? 

  • What is my long-term plan? Do I want to be a lawyer or doctor? Will I turn professional after college? How much this decision influence my decision? 

  • How important is the ability to be close to home and see my “team”? 

  • Why didn’t I find my best-fit school the first time? 

• Learn the transfer & eligibility rules - When you begin to think about going to a new school, understand that the rules are different depending on whether you want to transfer to an NCAA D1,2, or 3, and whether you are currently enrolled at a two-year or a four-year school. In some cases, conference rules can be more restrictive than NCAA rules. 

• Stick it out – many players transfer prematurely after a semester or after a year. My advice is to stick it out for at least a year or two. Most college class credits are likely to transfer if you transfer before Junior year. 

• Keep a healthy relationship with your Coach/Team – it’s important to note that the transfer process is much less frightening when you have people to assist you. No one wants “skeletons in their closet” during the transfer process, and no Coaches are interested in recruiting someone who isn’t a “team player”. 

• Be realistic – understand most Coaches are looking for transfers who will make an immediate impact on their program, have good grades, and have quality leadership skills. Remember, transferring “up” is much harder than transferring “down”. We estimate that about 80% of transfers were players who transferred to lesser competitive programs.

• If you do transfer, be ready to move! - Transfers in recruiting are much different than recruiting in junior golf because in most cases, Coaches have a much shorter window to make a decision on you, which can be a very positive thing if you’re ready to open up and build relationships with Coaches immediately, be ready to research the costs of the school, your intended major, and if your current college credits will transfer over to your new university.

Contact us if you would like us to provide an assessment on your current situation or need advice regarding transferring in college golf. 

Many thanks for reading, 

Michael J. Smith 

Founder, ForeCollegeGolf 

Mike Smith is the founder of ForeCollegeGolf, a college placement and recruiting business where he aims to apply his background in competitive golf and recruiting education to help educate players, their families, and coaches about the college recruiting process. 

If you have any questions about the article above, any feedback, an article idea you would like to provide; you can find me at mike.smith@forecollegegolf.com or www.ForeCollegeGolf.com. 

"How to Find the right Swing Coach"

For junior golfers, we believe it’s paramount to nail down the fundamentals of golf early in their careers. Fundamentals such as grip, posture, and alignment. During their teenage years, especially in/around their growth spurts, they should also work on adding speed. For Boys, the critical speed windows are 7-9 and 13-16 years old. For Girls, it’s 6-8 and 11-13 years old. Then, once a player begins to build good fundamentals, adds speed, and understands the nuances to the competitive game, then it’s definitely time to begin to work with a qualified swing coach.

Have all successful players had swing coaches?

No, not all, but if you walk down the range at any modern-day PGA Tour event, you’ll see few players without them!

Bubba Watson is one of the few players on the PGA tour that was self-made. A few others like Boo Weekly, Jason Day, and Zach Johnson didn’t have Coaches until they were competitive players but use them regularly on Tour. Tiger worked with his Dad primarily until he was 6 years old and then transitioned to Randy Duran and knowingly has trusted many Coaches with his swing: Butch Harmon, Hank Haney, Chris Como, Sean Foley, and sometimes even falling back on his vast knowledge and trusting himself with his own swing for short periods of time.

There are over 30,000 PGA Professionals but unfortunately, only a small percentage of them are truly qualified to assist elite juniors toward their goals and dreams. Bottom line, it’s not only important that you find the right swing coach for your needs at the right time, but also that you have the proper equipment and are developing the proper technical skills during the right development “windows”.

We narrowed down the following factors to look for and consider when looking for a swing coach:

Important Factors

• Values/Connection - Player & Coach

• Trust/Relationship

• Availability 

• Communication

• Style/Model

• Coach Experience/Accolades

Here are some important questions to ask when considering a Player/Coach relationship and the factors above:

• Values/Connection

  • What do you value? 

    • Do you have any strong beliefs that can’t be changed/broken? 

    • Are you open to change? If so, to what extent? 

  • What does the Coach value? 

    • Does this Coach have any strong beliefs that can’t be broken? 

    • Are they open to help you based on your own beliefs? Or do they have a tendency to tell players what to do, not ask? 

  • Do your values match up? 

  • Do you have a “spark” or connection with this Coach? 

    • Does this Coach care about my development? 

    • Does this Coach say the right thing at the right time? 

      • Or does this Coach just tell ppl what they want to hear? 

      • Or does this Coach “push players over the edge” 

    • Does this Coach deliver information in a good way for me? 

    • Does this Coach’s values make me more motivated to put more work in over time?

• Availability

  • Does this coach have the ability to give feedback on a swing video or are they too busy?

  • Is the bulk of their lesson book junior golfers or 15 Handicaps? 

  • Coaching vs 1hr golf instruction 

• Trust/Relationship

  • Do I feel a connection with this Coach and feel like we can build a relationship over time? 

  • Can I trust this Coach with my game and to get me to where I want to go? 

  • Will this Coach be honest with me about my progress/ or lack thereof? 

    • How does this Coach speak to his players? 

      • Does this Coach know when to speak up and when not to? 

      • Does this Coach know when to “needle” a player and when to “put their arm around a player”?

      • Will I be able to resolve confusion/conflict easily with this Coach? 

• Communication

  • How does this Coach communicate his/her information?

  • Does this Coach package his information in a way that’s easy for me to understand? 

    • Are they communicating in simple terms, and keeping it to 1 or 2 thoughts? 

    • Or are they throwing the kitchen sink at you and hoping something sticks?  

  • How does this Coach utilize Video, Trackman, feels, drills? 

    • Do they really understand you and your swing or are they giving you quick fixes? 

  • Does this coach ask me about my preferred ball flight and the “patterns” I’m seeing in my game? 

  • Q’s to ask the Coach…

    • If we work together, how would we do the following? 

      • Define success?

      • Create a long-term plan? 

      • Communicate in-between lessons? 

      • How often would we schedule lessons? 

      • How significant/serious would the changes be? 

      • Will you help me review my on-course stats?

      • Will you help me create a practice schedule?

• Style/Model

  • Most good coaches operate under a narrow set of principles and teach the same thing to everyone. Great coaches, however, can take the same principles and apply it to the student/player in front of them. 

  • Technical development or Skill development? Which is the Coach more focused on? Does that suit you? 

  • There is a BIG difference and some Coaches teach a little of both but most are one or the other

• Technical Development - Training your mechanics and motor patterns

  • Typically, Coaches like Mike Bender or David Leadbetter or Mike Adams. Much more technique based in their Coaching.

    • Efficiency - the ability to do something consistently in a repeatable way, aka matchups (start line, and curve)

    • Horsepower -  speed first, (aka. Gankas, Berkshire, Bryson changes)

  • This training will ultimately “set your ceiling” for performance

• Skill Development - 

  • Coaches like Cameron McCormick, Butch Harmon or Pia Nielson

  • This type of training will ultimately help you perform your best under pressure but your “ceiling” limits you.

• Remember, “Two Steps backward, then three steps forward” is mostly a MYTH!

  • Meaning..  “I have to get worse before I get better” 

    • You should be seeing small improvements immediately! Note: some players assume the are getting worse because of their scores or a few bad shots, when in reality they are actually changing technique for the better and also building a skillset.

    • The difference is most great players Understand & Trust what they are working on for a longer period of time. Whereas, other players give up and begin “searching” for the next quick-fix. Don’t go fishing!

    • Great players have a really really really clear PLAN.

• When Making a Swing Change

  • Changing the “movement” should be the primary focus

    • Focus on changing your “motor patterns”, not controlling the ball flight/outcome

    • Slow it down! Do most of your technical work at 60% speed or less

    • Stick to your plan. Most swing changes take 6mo or longer, not weeks!

  • Ask your Coach to “Define great, define good, and define bad” in terms of technical movements and outcome.

    • How do we define a “good” move? 

    • What does a “preferred or great” shot look like? (start line, and shape)

    • How do I control the clubface? 

    • How do I create speed? 

  • How can we define success overall? OR How do you judge progress? 

    • Shooting a score? Win a tournament?

      OR

    • Increasing skill level or raising my technical “ceiling”

• Coach Experience/Accolades 

  • Has this Coach taught players or been around players at the level where you’re trying to go? (I.e. college level or PGA Tour level players)

  • Has this Coach helped good junior players become great?

  • Has this Coach helped great junior players become exceptional? 

  • Has this Coach played/competed at the level where you are trying to go? 

  • Other important Coaching Q’s

    • Has this coach learned or been mentored by other great instructors? 

    • Does this Coach have any Top100 accolades? 

    • TPI (fitness) or PGA certified? (Business)

    • Remember: Most Head PGA pros get judged on revenue and member satisfaction, NOT helping young players build a technical skillset.   

We hope these questions help you find the right Coach for YOU!

Best of luck in your search and please let us know if we can assist you!

Mike

NCAA Recruiting Terms 101

It’s that time of year again!

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, frustrated or anxious about the college recruiting process, trust me, you’re not alone.

College application deadlines are approaching, the early signing period for the National Letter of Intent is looming, and Coaching staffs are on their recruiting games. Players are taking visits, building relationships, and committing to schools. Whether you’re a Senior who’s a late-bloomer or a Freshman who’s just getting started, it would be advisable to take any advantage you can get in the recruiting process. To do this takes a unique understanding of what coaches are looking for, how to build relationships and a clear understanding of what coaches can and cannot do in terms of recruiting you.

Many dependent factors such as grad year, academic standing, and past performance will determine if a coach can or cannot recruit you.

Over the years, the NCAA has implemented strict guidelines which prohibit coaches from sending emails, making telephone calls, contacting you off-campus, or evaluating you on the golf course.

Note: the rules and regulations are different at all levels; NCAA D1, D2, D3, and even NAIA & NJCAA.

Here are a few recruiting definitions that you can utilize during the college recruiting process:

• PSA: (Prospective Student-Athlete) You are considered a PSA at the start of 9th Grade classes

• Contact: A contact happens any time a college coach says more than hello during a face-to-face meeting with you or your parents off the college’s campus.

• Dead Period: A college coach may not have any face-to-face contact with a recruit/player or his/her parents on or off the college campus at any time during a dead period. However, a coach may write and call a recruit/player during a dead period.

• Evaluation: An evaluation takes place when a college coach observes you practicing or competing.

• Official visit: During an official campus visit, the college can pay for transportation to and from the college for you, lodging and meals (Division I allows for up to three meals per day) for you and your parents or guardians, as well as reasonable entertainment expenses including three tickets to a Division I home sports event or five tickets to a Division II home sports event. Before a college may invite you on an official visit, you must provide the college with a copy of your high school transcript and ACT, SAT or PLAN score (test scores are required for Division I only) and register with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

• Unofficial visit: An unofficial campus visit is a “trip” taken by the recruit/player and his/her parents to a college campus. All unofficial visits are funded by the recruit/player. The college and/or coach may not pay for any expenses (except athletic games). We encourage ForeCollegeGolf clients/players to make as many unofficial visits as they can and to take those visits at any time during the recruiting process.

• Recruited: If a college coach calls a player/recruit more than once, contacts them off campus, pays their expenses to visit the campus, or in Divisions I and II, issues a National Letter of Intent or a written offer of financial aid, then the player/recruit is considered to be recruited.

• Verbal commitment: A verbal commitment takes place when a player verbally agrees to play for a college/university before he/she is eligible to sign a National Letter of Intent. The commitment is not binding on the player or the college/university and can be made at any time during the recruiting process.

• Walk-on: A recruit who does not receive a scholarship, but who is placed on the team roster as a full-time student-athlete just like the scholarship athletes.

Dates to Remember:

• Starting June 15th AFTER sophomore year: Coaches can begin to initiate contact with PSA’s. ***Players can initiate communication with Coaches at any time.

• Prior to June 15th: Coaches can’t initiate contact with PSA’s but they can send/email/mail/message PSA’s about athletic information at the school or send them a questionnaire.

• Starting August 1st BEFORE Junior Year: PSA’s can begin to take Official Visits to Campus.

• Anytime: College coaches can send recruits general materials, such as questionnaires, camp information, non-athletic information about the school, and materials published by the NCAA. 

The NCAA rules/regulations place restrictions on Coaches, as a prospective student-athlete you need to be aware of them but NCAA recruiting rules are primarily to hold Coaches accountable for their recruiting actions! So keep in mind, PSA’s are free to communicate with college coaches/players/athletic department heads anytime they wish! Calls, emails, texts, Facebook posts… anything and everything is permitted for players,

Remember, although coaches may not be responding or actively recruiting you, it doesn’t mean you aren’t on their radar or they aren’t noticing you. 

“Stay patiently proactive!”                 

Mike Smith is the Founder & CEO of ForeCollegeGolf and specializes in assisting junior golfers & their families through the college recruiting process. Email him @ mike.smith@forecollegegolf.com

“We’re talkin’ about PRACTICE…”

Not a game …. “We’re talkin’ bout practice” were the iconic words from Allen Iverson during his post-game interview in 2002. Allen was adamant about inferring the difference between practice and competition, and he was right! In football, players practice on the football field. In baseball, players practice on the baseball field. In tennis, players practice on the tennis court. Golf is the only sport where our playing environment is profoundly different and more challenging than our practice environment.

In golf, the average practice environment has little, if any variables. Whereas the course provides many obstacles and extreme challenges. Fundamentally, golf courses take on a different degree of challenge due to course set-up, the nature of each hole, the shots needed to navigate those holes, and then there are the environmental variables such as grass, rough, sand, wind, bushes, trees, houses, water hazards, out of bounds, … you get the point. There is an unlimited number of environmental variables that make the golf course more difficult than the practice range.

 What we can’t do is build a “practice course” but we can find subtle ways to emulate the course environment. By incorporating a few diverse, unusual, yet effective training regimens, we can be on our way to playing better golf.

First, let’s talk about the ideal practice environment. Note to reader, everyone will have a different ideal practice environment. Factors like skill level, competitive tournament schedule, strengths and weaknesses, and practice environments are just a few things that will shape and alter your practice.

So let’s break it down. Practice can be categorized in many different ways. However, for the purposes of this article, let’s explain the three main ways golfers practice.

• Technical – Acquiring the proper technique by changing your motor pattern(s)

• Skill Development – Measuring how well you retain your technical changes in practice with drills/games

• Performance 101 & Competition – Practicing with pressure and simulating a competitive environment

We also encourage our players to set long-term and short-term practice “plans” or schedules in advance….

·      Long(er) Term Schedule: 6-weeks in advance, plan out which phase of practice you plan to be in during that given week. (Technical, Skill or Performance)

·      Short Term Schedule: a weekly running practice calendar

The best players in golf are also the best at reflecting and assessing their past practices or competitions. I commonly see this displayed by the best players in our sport.

Here are some additional questions you can ask yourself for practice…

The 3 C’s

·      Context

o   Why? Why am I practicing today? (Technique, skills, performance, prep?)

·      Content

o   What am I training today?

o   What kind of drills am I doing today?

o   What are you doing today to prepare you for your next tournament?

§  For example, “I’m playing a tournament with small greens so I’ll be working on hitting lots of chips and short putts as well as to smaller targets while holding myself accountable to PGA Tour wedge proximities.”

·      Conclusion –

o   If I could do that practice session over again, what would I do differently?

o   What did I do well today in that practice session?

At ForeCollegeGolf, we encourage our players to use all three types of practice by creating a practice schedule with technical, skill, and performance practice distinctions. We hold our players accountable to not only keeping a regular practice schedule but also, make sure they are assessing and reflecting on their past practices and performances. Gaining feedback in order to learn, grow, and ultimately perform better is paramount to a player’s game!

 Mike Smith is the Founder & CEO of ForeCollegeGolf and specializes in assisting junior golfers & their families through the college recruiting process. Email him @ mike.smith@forecollegegolf.com