Skip to main content

The new Winter portal opened yesterday and closes on the 15th.  Lots of players already in and most are from HA schools from the IVY and Patriot League which is very surprising to me.  There are some new rules that will allow players to be eligible immediately this Spring.  I wonder if being a non scholarship player allows someone to be eligible immediately?  Are some of these HA kids going to be better places or were they just walk ons that gave it a shot?  I'd appreciate it if anyone has any insight as to what is going on.  Toi give those who don't have access some examples, Bucknell has 10, Brown 3, Cornell 6, Holy Cross 7, Penn 9.   Those numbers seem way out of the norm to me, but maybe there is a logical explanation?

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

@d-mac posted:

The new Winter portal opened yesterday and closes on the 15th.  Lots of players already in and most are from HA schools from the IVY and Patriot League which is very surprising to me.  There are some new rules that will allow players to be eligible immediately this Spring.  I wonder if being a non scholarship player allows someone to be eligible immediately?  Are some of these HA kids going to be better places or were they just walk ons that gave it a shot?  I'd appreciate it if anyone has any insight as to what is going on.  Toi give those who don't have access some examples, Bucknell has 10, Brown 3, Cornell 6, Holy Cross 7, Penn 9.   Those numbers seem way out of the norm to me, but maybe there is a logical explanation?

Graduate transfers.

Ivy graduate students are not eligible to participate. May be true of Patriot schools as well--certainly true for Army and Navy but of course they have a military obligation to fulfill before any hopes of grad school!

Of course this will die down once the extra COVID-eligibility years are used up. You may still see one or two who could have red-shirted during their 4 years of academics and are looking to continue playing out their eligibility at a school that accepts graduate transfers. There have been quite a few Ivy graduate transfers the last two years and you can expect the same for the next two seasons (2024 and 2025).

@ABSORBER posted:

Graduate transfers.

Ivy graduate students are not eligible to participate. May be true of Patriot schools as well--certainly true for Army and Navy but of course they have a military obligation to fulfill before any hopes of grad school!

So the students did one semester of a grad program at these schools, found out they couldn't play baseball after they enrolled, and are now seeking to transfer?

Genuine question, not being snarky.

@SpeedDemon posted:

So the students did one semester of a grad program at these schools, found out they couldn't play baseball after they enrolled, and are now seeking to transfer?

Genuine question, not being snarky.

No, they will play for their Ivy teams this Spring (2023), then graduate (they are all seniors), and then attend graduate school in Fall 2023 if they can get a baseball commitment.

@SpeedDemon posted:

Got it.

Strange though that the transfer portal is open now for play year-and-a-quarter from now. Does it open again after the spring season? Thanks.

I am not really familiar with that aspect. Until I saw the OP's post I assumed it was already opened for the following year. D1 Baseball lists the portals via years (2021, 2022, 2023, etc.). They also have this to say (regarding the 2023 portal) on their website:

"With the NCAA voting last April to allow one-time transfers in all college sports, the ability to transfer freely without sitting out returned to Division I baseball last summer. You can view the 2022 Transfer Tracker, here.

With that, we again expect a hefty number of players to enter the Transfer Portal between now and next fall. Players will have until July 1 to announce their intentions to leave their previous programs."

They have listed the 2023 portal for a while now and it is slowly growing. I'm sure it will grow quickly since Fall ball is wrapping or is already wrapped up. The grad transfers are the first to enter--so clearly it opened up before yesterday.

So perhaps it opens and closes several times?

@ABSORBER posted:

Folks can poke fun at Brown all they want but those players (especially those that started and played every game for their team) will have the last laugh as they are walking away with an Ivy education.

If they don't care about getting pounded in baseball for four years, you're right. There are other avenues than Ivies to end up with a quality career and make a lot of money. A kid who can play at Brown can likely star at a NESCAC and be on the same academic/career track.

@RJM posted:

If they don't care about getting pounded in baseball for four years, you're right. There are other avenues than Ivies to end up with a quality career and make a lot of money. A kid who can play at Brown can likely star at a NESCAC and be on the same academic/career track.

Pounded? That's not a very accurate description. They finished 6th in the Ivy last season. Show me some examples.

https://ivyleague.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=3688

Winning is great but competing is much more important to an individual player.

@ABSORBER posted:

Pounded? That's not a very accurate description. They finished 6th in the Ivy last season. Show me some examples.

https://ivyleague.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=3688

Winning is great but competing is much more important to an individual player.

Google Brown baseball history. Their last winning season was 2009. Almost everyone on this board knows Brown baseball is a joke.

I don't expect a lot of the P5s to have guys in now.  They can't play this year if they move to another D1, and the school can't take their scholarship if they finish the year.  I think most of the guys going in now, will be guys without athletic money, other non rostered guys will be gray shirted or red shirted...they will likely show up in July.  I may be wrong, but if you go D1, to JUCO, you don't have to enter the portal and can play in the spring?

@ABSORBER posted:

No, they will play for their Ivy teams this Spring (2023), then graduate (they are all seniors), and then attend graduate school in Fall 2023 if they can get a baseball commitment.

So the players in there now from the Ivy will play for their current school this upcoming 2023 season - then use their eligibility in 2024 elsewhere? Basically they are going into the portal a season before they will leave ?

So the players in there now from the Ivy will play for their current school this upcoming 2023 season - then use their eligibility in 2024 elsewhere? Basically they are going into the portal a season before they will leave ?

Players entering the portal now are not going to be playing on new teams for the 2022-2023 season.  They are looking for a commitment for the 2023-2024 season.

Are there diff requirements for teams offering scholarships to grad transfers?  Or does the team have more leeway now that players are graduates where the team can do what they want when they want???

(Should have started new thread, wasn't certain if worthy).

Son is at a NESCAC looking at grad transfer to a Big East.  One of the coaches mentioned they hold off until after fall ball to offer scholarships to grad transfers.  Wouldn't that suggest they won't be offering roster spots to grad transfers?  My son is already accepted at the school; we can make the money work for his grad program....I was simple thinking of the inference between no scholarship offer till after fall means you're not going to be offered a roster spot right now????

Son is going to the school regardless, and I know cuts and roster decisions are made late in the fall anyway.  This seems a bit different.

Any thoughts on this?  Thank you in advance

Last edited by Gov

Good question @Gov I’m interested in seeing the responses.  I’m probably the least qualified to weigh in, as I just let my son deal with everything and we haven’t had a “sit down” to determine what we’ll do.

Son is in the portal for a grad year, as his school doesn’t have a grad program.  He has received significant interest from many schools.  Some have verbally provided aide, but I’m not sure if it’s academic or athletic aide.  Those that haven’t, I just assume they’re keeping a communication line open.  Some aide offers have been quite high, so I assume they’re either athletic/academic combos or maybe different rules apply, per your question.

There doesn’t appear to be pressure for him to sign.  I’m not sure why a school would, as things will really open up in the summer, where they’ll be in the driver seat.

I’m torn whether I want him to play another year, or just move on, so I’m just being patient with how things will play out.

@Gov

My opinion is that many grads do not  receive athletic $$ from most D1 programs.

It might depend on the position need and perhaps if NIL money is available to cover expenses. I think the creation of NIL collectives has created grad opportunities.

A mid D1 HC told me that he only offers to grads from his program and that's far and few between.

@TPM posted:

@Gov

My opinion is that many grads do not  receive athletic $$ from most D1 programs.

It might depend on the position need and perhaps if NIL money is available to cover expenses. I think the creation of NIL collectives has created grad opportunities.

A mid D1 HC told me that he only offers to grads from his program and that's far and few between.

Thank you.  We actually didn't even think scholarships were available to grad's at all.  Wasn't till the coach said something at the workout the past weekend.   

Approximately 400 players in the transfer portal as of today per D1 baseball.

Many of them won’t find another place to play. The portal only benefits a small percentage of those that enter.

Moral of the story : Do your homework to understand the recruiting process, make sure you go fishing in the right pond, don’t be in a hurry to commit, be willing to adjust your plan based on changing conditions.

It’s a really good time to be one of the very best players in college baseball. It’s a very difficult time to be anything less than that.

@adbono posted:

Approximately 400 players in the transfer portal as of today per D1 baseball.

Many of them won’t find another place to play. The portal only benefits a small percentage of those that enter.

Moral of the story : Do your homework to understand the recruiting process, make sure you go fishing in the right pond, don’t be in a hurry to commit, be willing to adjust your plan based on changing conditions.

It’s a really good time to be one of the very best players in college baseball. It’s a very difficult time to be anything less than that.

Is that a fall thing because they can't play D1 anywhere else? Do you mean at the D1 level or ever? This is anecdotal, but most of the kids I know that entered the portal over the summer when my son entered are playing somewhere...if they wanted to (many didn't). I can't imagine a a lot of situations where a D1 player that is cut can't get on an NCAA/NAIA *somewhere*.

Last edited by nycdad

I've been wondering if the transfer portal has made things better.  After all, kids wanted to be free to move to greener pastures, just as coaches have been able to.  How can this not be better for the players.  I'm not the quickest to figure things out sometimes, but I think I now understand what others have been saying... The portal helps the best players find new homes without sitting out a year, and it helps the best teams reload immediately.  Everyone else seems to get screwed.

@TPM posted:

Curious to see the #s coming from those programs that over recruited.

I took the time this weekend to look through all of the rosters of the few D1 schools that have been communicating with my 2024.   It is shocking to look at Perfect Game Commitment list from 2019 and 2020 and see how few of the players on those list that still have their name on those schools rosters.   I have found Collegebaseballinsights.com to be a good tool, but it's a little more real when you look at names and pictures instead of just looking at numbers.   

I was having a conversation with my son this morning and we were discussing the importance of being comfortable with a school and not just a baseball program.  Just looking at the statistics, the chances of a player signing and continuing with a D1 school for four years in their baseball program is rather slim.    My wife chimed in with the typical parent response, "but our son is a really good pitcher and these school that are talking to him really want him in their program."   I had to remind her that, the parents of all of those kids that are not long on that teams roster probably said the same thing when their child was being recruited.

There are a lot of names in that D1baseball.com transfer portal.  You never know the situation that led to those names being there.  It seems that some of the names are players that have another year of eligibility and want to do a graduate transfer at another school in order to play another year or in many cases, to play for a school that has a graduate program that they want to attend.   I'm sure that there are some that put their name in the Transfer portal to move up to a more competitive program, but I would imagine that the majority of names in the TP are there because things didn't go as they had hoped and anticipated with the school that they signed with.   

Last edited by Ster

Add Reply

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×