The NCAA Transfer Portal serves as a tantalizing gateway, promising athletes fresh beginnings and untapped potential across the collegiate sports world. All athletes need to do is inform their school’s compliance office of their decision to explore other schools. Within two business days, their names are added to the portal, where schools can contact them after perusing their profiles.

While the process may seem straightforward, a darker side to this transfer portal has long been whispered about. But now, track and field sensation Tara Davis has stepped forward to shine a light on these shadows.

Looking at the NCAA Transfer Portal from Tara Davis’ lens

Tara Davis, also known as USA’s track and field sensation, boasts an illustrious career record. Not only is she a silver medalist in the world, but she also holds the second-longest mark of 7.18 in USA’s women’s history. Her years of experience have provided her with insights into the NCAA Transfer Portal.

As she noticed the loopholes within the portal, she couldn’t resist penning down her thoughts. Taking to her official Twitter account, she wrote, “the transfer portal rules need a bit of changing. I do believe that athletes should be allowed to leave schools, but it’s getting a bit ridiculous.”

Despite being a part of the transfer portal during her collegiate days, the pervasive misuse by some athletes has made her reconsider her stance. While sharing her own example, she said, “I had to sit out a year because the coach decided that I wasn’t allowed to compete for any team cause I was “too good of an athlete” in a follow up tweet.

As Tara was not able to take up the same opportunity available to nowadays athletes, she immediate realized, “now athletes are switching within conferences and playing immediately”. She added, “These athletes have been to 3 schools and still ‘aren’t happy.’ Don’t get me wrong; I was part of the transfer portal too.” Even though, she looks at the transfer portal as an opportunity she also pours light on the fact that it is getting misused.

A deeper exploration of the transfer portal

As Tara’s words linger in the air, the focus naturally shifts to the tangible manifestations of the transfer portal’s influence. At the top of the list is Hailey Van Lith, a talent whose trajectory has taken her through three distinct collegiate programs: from Louisville to LSU, and now back in the transfer portal once more.

Joining her is Bronny James, who is departing from USC due to coaching changes and personal reflections. Despite facing a set of challenges and setbacks, his choice to seek new opportunities speaks volumes about the dynamic nature of collegiate athletes. Apart from Hailey and James, there are many more athletes across multiple sports sailing on the same boat. But the question still remains: Are athletes missing the transfer portal?