Portal Stuff

[Orange Socks]

I just saw a Tik Tok that parodies (THADDOII)College football recruiting but I thought it could be relatable to softball as well. LSU coach gets a call from a kid that is the back up QB at USC who didn't get any playing time. He was a 5 star HS recruit Senior year that the coach was recruiting. Kid says I am in the portal and I have a lot of practice tape coach. Coach says I am only interested in players that got on the field. Funny not funny.

How many kids are in the portal b/c of lack of playing time? How many coaches are only interested in players who actually played? We hear about the players that did well at their previous school who are looking to go up the ladder. Not much noise about the players who sat the bench. Gotta be tough to find a new home for those players.

 

[RADcatcher]

Beyond top players shuffling,...
My take on it...
A player either has season statistics to speak for them. Or they don't.
The choices are,
College coach could pick up a travel player that will be a freshman to hopefully mold and develop into what their program needs wants. The player that has already caught the college coaches eye to be interested in them.
Or
they're picking up an older player who hasn't developed into a useful asset where they're at already. Would be like picking up a benchwarmer.

For me I see the choice is clear. Would pick up fresh Talent that has shown me potential from travel ball that already made me notice them as an incoming opportunity to grow that player.

Not picking up a college player that for whatever reason their current College coach already did not see player as a resource asset.

 

[Tatonka]

There's a lot of coaches and players using the portal for other reasons. I feel like way too many people only follow or have opinions on the DI level.

 

[YoungBuck]

Plenty of coaches out there that don't know how to develop talent, the ones that do often rise quickly.

 

[tim_s]

There's a lot of coaches and players using the portal for other reasons. I feel like way too many people only follow or have opinions on the DI level.

you mean someone might transfer because the culture isn't a fit, or they don't like their major, or the school wasn't right for them, or......

 

[Traps71]

List is in the hundreds. I lost count. Still early perhaps, but only a handful of these young women have been committed to other programs. I would assume the vast majority are not going to catch on with other D1 programs. Not sure what happens then. They just quit playing or quietly move to D2 or D3 programs?

D1Softball Transfer Tracker: 2023

Stay up to date with the softball transfer tracker with D1Softball's tracker. We will update as the offseason progresses.

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As I believe someone said elsewhere, any HS player looking to play D1 is also competing with all these women in transfer portal for those handful of spots in a given year's recruiting class. Between the extra year for COVID and the transfer portal, it's tough out there for HS players.

 

[Traps71]

you mean someone might transfer because the culture isn't a fit, or they don't like their major, or the school wasn't right for them, or......

In some of the cases where 5 or 6 girls from a single program are moving at once, it is a function of the head coach being fired or otherwise leaving the program. That is, the person that recruited them is no longer there. Agree that there can be many reasons, including many sound ones for leaving a particular program or school. I certainly don't judge anyone for using the portal.

Be that as it may, this still seems--in the aggregate--like a lot of transfers. If you added all D1 programs together there are probably 6 to 7,000 players. Not sure how many will ultimately enter the portal this year, but seems like you will be looking at 5-10%. Maybe there is similar (or worse) churn at other levels of play and it is just not as visible to us?

 

[RADcatcher]

you mean someone might transfer because the culture isn't a fit, or they don't like their major, or the school wasn't right for them, or......

Yes academics can change.

Also yes heard student athletes talk about the different culture shock going away to college and wanting to relocate from that experience.

 

[Tatonka]

you mean someone might transfer because the culture isn't a fit, or they don't like their major, or the school wasn't right for them, or......

yes, and on the flip side of some of those events, a new Coach taking over a program that has been negatively impacted (by culture, prior coach, one or more toxic players, etc.) will use the portal to try and rebuild a team with the best players/students they can find.

 

[RADcatcher]

List is in the hundreds. I lost count. Still early perhaps, but only a handful of these young women have been committed to other programs. I would assume the vast majority are not going to catch on with other D1 programs.

vast majority will not transfer to other D1 programs

Not sure what happens then. They just quit playing or quietly move to D2 or D3 programs?

Some