I met a dad of one of our players a few weekends ago. His son is a freshman pitcher who is beginning to get playing time. He more than likely could have gone to a state P5 but he wanted to to play asap and not sit on the bench. So I am assuming that's why he is there.
The dad has a younger son who was getting lots of D1 attention. COVID came, and the NCAA handed out extra years and the phone stopped ringing.
Under advisement, his son accepted an opportunity to one on the better JUCOs in our state.
My point is that with the situation the way it is, no one really knows what's going to happen next year or the year after, so if an opportunity comes along JUCO, D2, D3, etc TAKE IT!!! You can play anywhere and earn your degree. Sit on the D1 bench or play. This isn't always true for mid D 1 programs. But it seems like everyone wants to play on the P5 program. It's not as easy as you think to get playing time. Ask any parent of a P5 player.
My son was a coach at a D2, they had large numbers but also a JV team. They played great baseball and many get drafted out of this program.
I searched top P5 programs the other day and the numbers on the roster are incredible, 45, 48, 52! Are you kidding me?
You only need 9! Do those teams put in substitutes regularly? Seriously. Or do they burn eligibility? Search carefully.
Some of those teams had players who had no stats. Oh, ok, so they will get another redshirt year, but is this what your son wants? Do you want to pay for 5 years of college?
I am going to strongly assume that if a one time D1 transfer is allowed, many coaches will go after the transfers before ever considering a freshman.
JMO.