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NCAA transfer portal eclipses new milestone this year
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The transfer portal is more popular than it’s ever been,
Yes, the NCAA portal is just a few years old, but it’s been incredibly popular through the first six months of the 2020-21 academic year. According to Chris Hummer of 247Sports, there are 1,723 football players at the FBS level who have entered their name into the database this year. That’s a new high.
Previously, the high was set at 1,720 during the 2018-19 academic year. But what makes this year so unique in terms of the high number is that the 1,723 total comes through essentially one-half of a cycle. The previous high was over a full 12 months.
The total reset on Aug. 1, 2020.
The transfer portal hit a milestone today as 1,723 players have entered since it reset on Aug. 1. That means we've had more FBS entries in 6 1/2 months than any previous full 12-month cycle. @247SportsPortal
2020-21: 1,723
2019-20: 1,695
2018-19: 1,720https://t.co/r7KBhyzrIf— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) February 18, 2021
Obviously the NCAA transfer portal has grown in popularity over the past few years, but the COVID-19 pandemic likely plays a big role in this year’s high total, as well.
The transfer portal will be something to keep an eye on over the next since months. Perhaps a majority of the players looking to transfer have entered their names in early and there will be fewer than we normally see in the second half of the calendar.
Or, maybe we’ll see another spike when spring practices come to an end. Either way, it’s been a unique year for college football and the NCAA transfer portal.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB