Illinois veteran withdraws from NFL Draft, enters NCAA Transfer Portal
Illinois tight end Daniel Barker, who just finished up his fourth year with the Fighting Illini, has withdrawn from the 2022 NFL Draft, he announced on Twitter.
After previously entering the 2022 NFL Draft, Barker has opted instead to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal for his final year of eligibility.
“First and foremost, I just want to say thank (you to) the University of Illinois for giving me the opportunity to earn my degree, (and) also the opportunity to represent you on the field,” Barker said in a Twitter post. “The past four years in Champaign have been an unforgettable experience. I also want to thank all my coaches, teammates, equipment staff, strength staff, athletic staff, nutrition staff, general assistants, academic staff, tutors, and councilors. Each of you helped me grow as a man on and off the field. I wouldn’t be the person (I am) today without you all.”
Barker reeled in 18 catches in his senior season, tallying 202 receiving yards and four touchdowns, while also taking three rushes for 18 yards and another touchdown. Barker’s 18 receptions led the team, while his four touchdowns tied for the Illinois team lead.
“I want to thank all the fans. You guys are the best and I will never forget what we have shared in Memorial Stadium,” he said. “With this being said, I have decided to opt out of the 2022 NFL Draft and enter the Transfer Portal to continue my academic and athletic career. Thank you again, Illinois, I will miss you and my experience here will never be forgotten.”
He entered the 2021 season as a preseason All-Big Ten third team honoree by Pro Football Focus, and The Athletic previously labeled him the No. 15 NFL Draft prospect among eligible tight ends.
In four years, Barker — who earned his first three starts as a true freshman in 2018 — hauled in 64 receptions for 827 yards and 11 touchdowns. He finished with 18 receptions in both the 2019 and 2021 seasons; his career-high was 19 receptions in 2020. Additionally, Barker’s highest receiving yard total came in 2019, when he had 273. His 11 touchdowns made him the Illinois program record-holder for most touchdown receptions by a tight end.
For a full list of NCAA Transfer Portal entries, click here.
Background on Transfer Portal after Barker’s entry
The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.
The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and that request cannot be refused.
Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.
The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.
A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.
The portal has been around since Oct. 15, 2018 and the new calendar cycle within the portal begins each August. For example, the 2021-22 cycle started Aug. 1. During the 2020-21 cycle, 2,626 FBS football players entered the transfer portal (including walk-ons). That comes after 1,681 entered during the 2019-20 cycle and 1,709 during the abbreviated 2018-19 cycle. In comparison, 1,833 Division I basketball players entered the portal during the 2020-21 cycle after totals of 1,020 in 2019-20 and 1,063 in 2018-19.