The National Collegiate Athletic Association transfer portal has been a major topic of conversation across the nation, with some saying it is highly beneficial to the student-athlete population. In contrast, others contend it could be highly detrimental to students and university athletics programs.
At Central Connecticut State University, the transfer portal is a highly impactful tool used to build teams up year after year.
CCSU football head coach Adam Lechtenberg said he primarily utilizes the transfer portal to supplement his teams and add depth to position groups that need it.
“We’re trying to build a good foundation here with high school and prep school kids,” Lechtenberg said. “But the portal has been good to us.”
The transfer portal offers many student-athletes a change of scenery, whether they are looking to transfer up in hopes of one day going pro, transferring down in hopes of finding more playing time or simply transferring to further their studies.
CCSU women’s basketball player Samora Watson began her collegiate athletic career at East Carolina University. After appearing in just four games her freshman year at ECU, Watson transferred to CCSU looking to break out in a slightly smaller conference.
“Before the transfer, I felt I wasn’t being the player I knew I could be,” Watson said. “My role changing has helped me regain confidence, and I’m starting to grow as a player to my full potential.”
For CCSU men’s basketball player Jordan Jones, the move to CCSU from Coker University was purely about challenging himself and playing at the highest level possible.
“The school I was at before, it was a good school, but I just knew I could do more,” Jones said.
Jones said the decision to transfer was not made lightly but with much deliberation.
“I talked to God a lot, talked to my family, and it was a move I wanted to make,” Jones said.
Fellow CCSU basketball player Allan Jeanne-Rose transferred from nearby Fairfield University. A graduate student during the 2023-24 season, Jeanne-Rose’s use of the portal was also strictly about basketball.
“For me, it wasn’t about the school, the infrastructure, the fancy stuff,” Jeanne-Rose said. “It was strictly ball and nothing else.”
For many student-athletes in the transfer portal, especially those looking to compete at the Division I level, there are financial motivations tied to the Name, Image and Likeness deals that many universities offer.
However, Watson, Jones and Jeanne-Rose all said that there were no financial motivations within their transfers.
This lack of financial motivation, while a point of pride for many players, is potentially holding Central back in the portal, as many highly sought-after student-athletes in the portal do take NIL deals into mind when making their decisions.
However, CCSU does offer a very tight-knit athletic department, and many athletes that transfer in do so because of previous relationships with coaches.
Coming out of high school, Watson was recruited by Temple University’s program, featuring now-CCSU women’s basketball head coach Way Veney.
In a similar vein, Jeanne-Rose had a prior relationship with men’s basketball head coach Patrick Sellers from their time at Fairfield.
While the transfer portal may not be the answer for every student-athlete, coaches and student-athletes at CCSU have found it to be a useful tool as college sports adapt to a new era of athletics.
