LOOK: TCU pass rusher announces his intent to transfer
TCU defensive end Ochaun Mathis announced his decision to enter the transfer portal on Wednesday. The redshirt junior retains up to two seasons of eligibility if he chooses to use the free year of eligibility given by the NCAA during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mathis played a major role in the TCU defense over the past three seasons, recording 12.5 sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss. Over the course of his career, he has played in 36 games and finished with 133 tackles.
In addition to his transfer announcement, Ochaun Mathis included a message to the TCU supporters who he has worked with over the past four years.
“These last four years have been truly unforgettable and I want to thank everyone who has watched and supported me,” the statement read, in part. “I would also like to thank my teammates, trainers, the former coaching staff, and current coaching staff for pushing me to be my best. Most importantly, I would like to thank our loyal fans who have cheered me on and shown me so much love.”
Transfer portal background information
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. 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.
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.