Transferring between schools has become more and more common in the last few years during this era of the constantly evolving college sports landscape. Now, as we always say, every situation is different and in some cases transferring might be what is best for you. For example, if you started at a junior college, the plan from the beginning has always been to change schools after two years. Also, for other student athletes, you might have chosen a school where you can further develop as an athlete and take care of all your core classes, before then transferring to another university once you have established yourself in your college sport and once you start diving into your major. So those cases are typically pretty straight forward and those players typically find great options for their transfer.
However, we sometimes also see cases where the reasons for the transfer are different ones. For example, you did not make the traveling team for most tournaments or matches. Or you had some issues with your coach. Or you simply had difficulties adjusting to a new environment or area. While all these are very valid reasons, they do sometimes create a bit of a red flag for coaches from other schools, which then can make a transfer a bit tricky.
Now, let’s back paddle a little bit before we go into more details about the transfer itself. Whenever, you come to the conclusion that you want to transfer, the first step is always to inform your current coach about your intentions. Depending on the league or division you play in, the coach will need to enter you into the NCAA Transfer Portal or he/she will need to officially release you. Before this has happened, you are not allowed to reach out to any other coaches. This is extremely important, because the punishment for violating this rule can be very severe. Obviously, this rule applies to us as well and we cannot start advertising you to other coaches if you have not been officially released. Now, whenever you do make that decision, you should always be 100% certain that transferring is your best option or even your only option. The reason for that is that in most cases, coaches will immediately start looking for your replacement with the scholarship he or she had allocated to you. Furthermore, coaches also don’t have any obligation at that point to still put you in the lineup or to even have you participate in practice. So it is a very tricky and risky decision, so you better be entirely sure that this what you want to do, because very often there is no coming back once you ask for your release.
As we mentioned at the beginning of this post, in some cases transfers are very straight forward and players have plenty of options. This typically applies to junior college players, players where transferring was the plan all along, and to players who have dominated at their current level where they are ready for a promotion to the next level. However, for everyone else, making the decision to transfer should be considered very carefully. Here are some pointers that everyone should think about before making the final decision to transfer:
- Transferring should always be the last resort. In most cases, solving an issue you have at your current school is easier than running away from it and changing schools.
- If you have not made the traveling squad at your current school, the only teams that will be an option for you are teams that are ranked lower in the rankings. No coach of a higher ranked team will recruit a player who did not make the team for a school thats ranked lower.
- Very often, when athletes decide to transfer, this can create a red flag to other coaches. “Why does he or she want to transfer?”, “Did anything happen?, “Is he or she a trouble maker?”, “Does he or she have issues adjusting to the United States or to college in general?”. Those are all questions that coaches will ask themselves (or ask us), so you need to be prepared to have good answers to those and to have a good reason why you are transferring.
- Don’t oversell yourself! At this point, most coaches know who you are and what your level is. So there is no need to make yourself sound better than what you have shown in the US over the past year or two.
- Take care of your academics and keep your GPA high! This is very important, especially for athletes who might not qualify for the biggest athletic scholarship based on their performance at the previous school.
- Lower your expectations! If you had certain issues at your first school, don’t think that all these issues will be solved just by transferring. For example, if you did not make the traveling team at your first school, don’t expect it to be given to you once you change schools. Also, don’t forget, your next school is most likely ranked lower in the rankings and typically there is a good reason for that.
Again, these things don’t apply to all transfers and very often changing schools was always part of the plan and understandable for your current and future coach. And in most cases, athletes have just performed so well, that they are ready to take the next step and go to a bigger school. However, for us as a consulting agency (yes, that is part of our job as well even though finding you scholarships is always our number 1 priority), we have to warn you about things that might put you in a tough spot and that might even put your college career in jeopardy. But as always, we are here to help you every step of the way! So to anyone who might need help with a transfer or who is potentially considering it, just reach out to us before you do anything and let’s have a chat about your options and how to approach this very crucial decision!