The Second Wave of the Transfer Portal Closed for Business

By: Abby Turner

Editor: Gabrielle Nordstrom

NCAA college athletes had a second opportunity to enter the portal hoping to find a new school to further their careers. This second window was open from April 15 to April 30. After the closing of the first opportunity, which was open from December 5 to January 18, many athletes entered the portal during that time.

Photo Credit: Matthew Holst

Some of these athletes included Cade McNamara, a quarterback who transferred from the University of Michigan to the University of Iowa, and DJ Uiagalelei, a quarterback that left Clemson University for Oregon State. Both of these athletes left their former colleges with the hopes of receiving a better opportunity somewhere else.

Now that the second window has closed, let's look at some of the athletes that entered and were relocated in time for the spring season.

Photo Credit: Scott Bruhn

Nebraska quarterback, Casey Thompson, entered the portal due to not being able to practice this spring and transfer Jeff Sims in the lead for the starting quarterback position. During Thompson’s first season, the 2022 season, as the starting quarterback for Nebraska, he battled through injuries and was able to start 10 out of the 12 games. Completing 63 percent of his passes for 2,407 yards, while adding five rushing touchdowns and throwing for 17 touchdowns. Thompson is now going to be playing for Florida Atlantic University.

Photo Credit: Petre Thomas

Ole Miss defensive tackle, Tywone Malone, entered the portal and is transferring to Ohio State University. While playing for Ole Miss, Malone had a total of 13 tackles and two sacks. He was also a dual athlete, playing both football and baseball while attending Ole Miss.

Photo Credit: Nic Antaya

Former Michigan State quarterback, Payton Throne, is now competing for the starting position at the University of Auburn. The two-year starter has 49 career touchdowns, passing for 6,494 yards throughout 29 career games. Out of these 29 games, he started 26 of them. Throne ranks fourth among Michigan State’s career leaders for passing touchdowns. Throne has entered a heated battle against Robby Ashford for the starting position.

Photo Credit: Michael Wyke

Offensive lineman Cam'Ron Johnson has entered the portal’s spring window and will now be playing for Missouri. While playing for Houston, Johnson did not allow a single sack in over 500 blocks.

Many other athletes have entered the portal but have not announced a commitment to another school at this time. As the spring season carries on and the fall approaches, these players will be approached by different schools in hopes of finding the school that allows them to reach their full potential.

The Transfer portal was introduced to the league in 2018. It provides athletes the opportunity to explore their options. An athlete does not have to ask for permission to enter the portal, they just have to request it. Said athlete also can pull their name out of the portal at any given time. The portal has two different windows that allow athletes to request a transfer. There is a winter window, which is 45 days, and there is a spring window, which is 15 days.

More than 6,000 NCAA college football players had entered the transfer portal this year alone, and 2,179 in December. This is one of the largest transfer classes that the league has seen in the past couple of years.