Transfer portal tips?

You should know that entering the portal as an undergrad is akin to quitting in the eyes of most coaches. Most will cut you (but can't cut your scholarship until years end). You want to be sure before you start the portal process.

You can not test the waters and reach out to other coaches until you are in the portal.

Once in the portal you will likely be contacted pretty heavily if you are competitive. Don't expect emails from schools in conferences where you can not score points. You can also reach out to schools you are interested in as well.

You should know that entering the portal as an undergrad is akin to quitting in the eyes of most coaches. Most will cut you (but can't cut your scholarship until years end).

NOT TRUE- It can be cut at semesters end or term(If on Qtrs. system )

Sliding Scale wrote:

You should know that entering the portal as an undergrad is akin to quitting in the eyes of most coaches. Most will cut you (but can't cut your scholarship until years end). You want to be sure before you start the portal process.

You can not test the waters and reach out to other coaches until you are in the portal.

Once in the portal you will likely be contacted pretty heavily if you are competitive. Don't expect emails from schools in conferences where you can not score points. You can also reach out to schools you are interested in as well.

Thanks. Not on scholarship anyways so that's not an issue. I am also looking at a few schools where I would be on a NIRCA team instead of the official squad. I'm assuming the answer is no based on what I've heard about NIRCA, but are there any restrictions or rules if I'm dropping down from a D1 program?

How does it work? You have a meeting every year with your compliance office explaining it. As a refresher, your first step to to tell compliance or your coach not a message board.

Never ceases to amaze me that the definition I've answers exist within your reach, yet you choose to ask people who are anonymous with zero legitimacy.

.............. wrote:

How does it work? You have a meeting every year with your compliance office explaining it. As a refresher, your first step to to tell compliance or your coach not a message board.

Never ceases to amaze me that the definition I've answers exist within your reach, yet you choose to ask people who are anonymous with zero legitimacy.

Well I'm trying to do this without drawing attention to the fact that I'm thinking of transferring before we have even raced. My plans are at least to finish this semester at my current school so I don't really want to endanger my roster spot for this season. Also we haven't had a meeting explaining the transfer portal, it was covered for maybe 30 seconds.

If you aren't on scholarship, I don't think you even have to enter the transfer portal. You don't have any sort of contract with the school for your athletics. You could decide to just stop showing up to practice one day and cease all communications and it wouldn't be that big a deal since the school wouldn't be worrying about their money.

alskdjfhg wrote:

If you aren't on scholarship, I don't think you even have to enter the transfer portal.

Everyone has to enter the portal, even walk ons.

It does not matter that you are considering a drop in division. Still have to enter.

What you want is not possible. You will have to enter the portal, and your coach will know about it.

This has to happen before you can have any contact with any staff, at any school, in any division.

The coach might not cut you just for entering the portal. It is up to them. I do think most DIs, or at least the ones I know of, have a policy in place where they cut undergrad transfers unless there are extenuating circumstances.

I should clarify what I meant by scholarship can not be cut till year's end: your scholarship can not be cut for entering the portal. But the school is under no obligation to keep anyone on a team or renew their aid when a term is up.

You will need to be in the portal to talk to other schools. Many programs will find you/contact you (depending how good you are) once you enter the portal, d1 and d2 schools, d3 likely not. If there are specific schools you are interested in you should contact those coaches via email after you are in the portal.

The portal was created to put everything in the open so you couldn't cowardly talk with others, or a void attention, before completing your ethical obligation of notifying your current university of your intentions. Time to be an adult.

most NIRCA teams are run entirely by students, and there are zero transfer requirements to speak of (years ago there used to be but they were scrapped). there are a handful of club runners who have transferred out of or dropped out of D1 teams. so if you're looking to join a NIRCA team then you wouldn't even have to enter the transfer portal, you could keep it entirely a secret until you start racing the next year if you want. as far as most D1 coaches are concerned, joining a NIRCA team is akin to quitting running so they wouldn't really have much to say about it.

Of course then you'd need to apply to and be accepted into your new school on non-athletic merits. I'd advise finding the email of and contacting the running club president of whatever school you're looking at for more advice with that.

Keep in mind that if you want to transfer to an NAIA school, you have to initiate contact, NAIA coaches don’t have access to the portal.