Transfer Portal question

I know a 2023 HS RHP (a teammate of my son in hs) that announced his D1 to D1 transfer last week.  He is transferring from a MAAC school to a Horizon Conference school; moving up approximately 100 places in the RPI Rankings.

I think he perceived his personal situation in the portal as a buyer's market ... and a bird in hand was more valuable than feeling out others that may be in the bush.   

After CWS and teams replace coaches they let go or left for better opportunity and the portal closes (soon) it gets busier.

If he is waiting for a better opportunity he should have info to support his move.

Players that have agents or representatives  usually have them reach out to coaches. I don't know if that's OK but that happens.

Classes begin in August so there is plenty of time.

@4arms posted:

Our player entered the dreaded transfer portal and has been in discussion with several teams but is sitting on 1 D1 offer at this time and it's not one of his top 2 of the teams he's speaking with.   I know teams have a ton of players to look at when addressing their needs and the high profile transfers typically find homes quickly.   But is there a time frame where a decision should typically be made on where to commit or when players really start flying off the boards? The two teams he is very interested haven't been overly active in signing other transfers since the portal opened and  they wouldn't be schools out out of reach.  Speaking with another parent in the same situation........they said usually early-mid July is when it heats up but it seems very close to when a player has to report so naturally getting anxious. Plus there's the pressure of the one school wanting an answer to their offer sooner than later.  Thanks.

Sample size of one child in the portal for one summer + friends who have gone through it - coaches that are serious will want to meet in person and have the player come on campus for at least a partial workout, meet a few team members.

@TPM is correct - things heat up in July and signings seem to happen more often in the second half of the summer.

Great…. thank you both for the information.  

@SpeedDemon

Thanks for adding that info. Most likely coaches will want to meet the player. The player is a recruit and will need to meet and greet just like players did in HS.

If teams are dragging their feet on your son he’s on their B list. They’re waiting to hear from their A listers who have more options. He doesn’t want to be without a seat when the music stops.

4arms, is your son playing collegiate summer ball?  Are coaches looking at summer ball performances when making decisions?

The transfer portal has not helped curb unrealistic expectations. A D2 RC (who is a good friend) just told me this, and these are his exact words, “I am already so tired of D3 players that are only interested in D1 opportunities.”
  I know there have been a few, highly publicized, cases of D3 players transferring to D1 and having success. Almost all of the success doing that has been by grad students and/or upper class student athletes that have already completed a 3 or 4 year D3 career. They are grown men and have been able to make the transition because they are older, stronger, and more experienced. For the most part It’s not a move that will work for a D3 freshman that had a good year.
  The point I want to make is this - unless you are a difference maker as a player (evidenced by NIL offers) you are playing with fire going into the portal. If you are on a roster, have a productive role, and are enjoying your experience count your lucky stars. Be content where you are and make the most of it

Why is it that D2 baseball gets so little attention?  There are very few D2 parents on here, D2 schools are rarely discussed, no-one talks about the D2 CWS.  Is it just that D2s recruit fewer players out of high school?

@anotherparent posted:

Why is it that D2 baseball gets so little attention?  There are very few D2 parents on here, D2 schools are rarely discussed, no-one talks about the D2 CWS.  Is it just that D2s recruit fewer players out of high school?

I think that it could be that it's a lack of scholarships and many expensive. For example, Florida Southern, a D2, is about 50k+ a year with 9 bb scholarships (last that I heard).  On the other hand, many of their other sports are in demand, example lacrosse. I also know lots of young woman that participate in women's sports and get money threw grants.

FWIW a family friends son is headed to D2 Nova Southeastern for baseball. It's a great school featuring law, and medical programs. There are no restrictions on course study.

Also, D2 players don't get drafted. Many programs do not have the resources available like D1 programs do.

@anotherparent posted:

Why is it that D2 baseball gets so little attention?  There are very few D2 parents on here, D2 schools are rarely discussed, no-one talks about the D2 CWS.  Is it just that D2s recruit fewer players out of high school?

D2 schools typically go heavy on recruiting JuCo players as opposed to HS players. So most HS players/parents have little to no exposure to D2 schools before they get to college. There are a lot of regional differences in D2 and there are parts of the US where there are hardly any D2 schools. You are right that they don’t get the publicity and recognition that they deserve.

Interesting to note, here in FL the D2 programs separate incoming freshman from the upperclassmen, and have their own coaches and schedules.

@TPM posted:

Interesting to note, here in FL the D2 programs separate incoming freshman from the upperclassmen, and have their own coaches and schedules.

Very interesting

@Dadof3 posted:

Very interesting

When son was V pcoach, the JV team were all freshman but I guess that the portal changed that.

I don't know if it's different regionally for all D2 programs.

I am sure the D1 portal has changed D2 recruiting significantly, because when my son was going through the recruiting process (pre-portal) many of the top D2 programs had lots of D1 drop downs. It was not uncommon for the roster to swell right before the season as D1 kids (cut, or not put on travel roster) would all of a sudden show up and "take spots" from players who thought they had a position secured.

I'm going to add - not a ton of D2 schools have strong academic profiles. I'm not looking to turn this into a debate on academics so let's just say perceived academic prestige that a greater amount of D1s/D3s have. Where I'm located - there is not a low acceptance rate D2 for quite a ways.

Many going D3 use the sport as a way to boost admissions.

I will say it doesn't really matter - you can be successful wherever you go.

@BOF posted:

I am sure the D1 portal has changed D2 recruiting significantly, because when my son was going through the recruiting process (pre-portal) many of the top D2 programs had lots of D1 drop downs. It was not uncommon for the roster to swell right before the season as D1 kids (cut, or not put on travel roster) would all of a sudden show up and "take spots" from players who thought they had a position secured.

I remember looking at Tampa’s roster one season. A poster’s son was on the team. Most of the roster were SEC and ACC transfers.