ATHENS, Ga. — Each week, another wave of college football players enters the transfer portal, leaving the programs they once considered the perfect fit. Factors such as NIL opportunities, facilities, location, and paths to the professional ranks now weigh heavily in those decisions.
Some coaches sell their programs better than others, but the question remains: what’s truly best for both the student-athlete and the team?
Kirby Smart delivers a message to transfer portal athletes
Georgia coach Kirby Smart isn’t immune to the transfer portal's influence. But unlike many others, his challenge comes while leading a program in the College Football Playoff.
"We’re focused on this team," Smart said. "I think we’d be remiss to say that we’re focused on roster management. We’re not focused on it. We’re focused on prep and getting better."
Smart said the Bulldogs’ attention has turned inward during postseason preparation, emphasizing player development over outside distractions.
"For a while, it’s been intrinsically looking at ourselves and asking each player, ‘Did you come here to develop?’” Smart said. “Because if you did, all your buddies are out there right now announcing what they’re doing. I’m announcing I’m going into the portal. I’m announcing I’m re-signing. Well, how about you announce that you’re getting better?"
Across all NCAA sports, more than 31,000 student‑athletes entered the portal in 2023, with roughly 45% successfully moving to new schools. In football alone, the 2023–24 cycle saw more than 11,000 players across all divisions enter the portal.
Smart also challenged players to stay committed to improving regardless of their future plans. "If you go play somewhere else, you need to get better," he said.
Since the portal opened in 2018, the number of yearly entries has grown to tens of thousands. As a result, the total number of student-athletes who have entered the portal (not all of whom found new schools) is now safely in the hundreds of thousands across all sports and divisions. However, not all student-athletes successfully find a new team. A significant number of athletes who enter the transfer portal do not end up at a comparable NCAA program, and many do not join any new NCAA roster.
"If you’re going to play here, you need to get better. If you want to go to the National Football League and play, this is your last chance to get better."
Smart emphasized that December practices are crucial for development, a month where programs with playoff aspirations separate themselves. "Development occurs in December for us, and that’s what we’ve been focused on," he said. Georgia’s stance on development over movement comes as the Bulldogs prepare for a CFP quarterfinal showdown with No. 5 Notre Dame in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 in New Orleans.
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