The grass is not always greener
The Transfer Portal has reshaped college athletics, opening doors for some and closing them on others. In the 2025 cycle alone, over 2,000 Division I men’s basketball players entered the portal. College football saw more than 2,700 names during the spring window. The system offers opportunity, but it also delivers heartbreak. Not everyone finds a new home.
So what happens to the players left without a landing spot?
In some cases, they can return to their original school — but only if the program allows it. Coaches are not obligated to hold a scholarship once an athlete enters the portal, meaning many return to find their spot already filled. For those players, the options become limited.
Some shift to junior colleges or transfer to lower divisions, keeping their eligibility alive while hoping to reset their trajectory. Others attempt to walk on somewhere, trading scholarship security for a chance to prove themselves again. And for too many, the journey simply ends. Without a scholarship or a roster spot, some athletes are forced into early retirement from competitive sports, their college careers effectively closed.
Is this what college is suppose to be- an example of what the TRANSFER PORTAL has created - really sad ! pic.twitter.com/vHyCdbjKJp
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) July 9, 2025
That’s a difficult reality. Scholarships aren’t just about basketball or football — they’re about education, too. When players lose them, the impact extends beyond the court or field. Considering that fewer than 2% of NCAA athletes ever reach the professional level, the transfer portal can sometimes rob players of their last real opportunity to play while getting a free education.
It’s important to note that not all portal stories end badly. The top-tier players — the ones who command headlines and create bidding wars — almost always find a new destination. But for the majority, the gamble is real, and the safety net is gone. Dontaie Allen left Kentucky for Western Kentucky and then Wyoming. But he was in the portal for a long time before committing.
The lesson for athletes may be to weigh stability against opportunity. The portal can create fresh starts, but it can also create closed doors. For every success story, there’s a cautionary tale — and that reality should never be overlooked.