Rule Changes, COVID Effects Alter Transfer Portal Philosophy

Mark Stoops’ Kentucky football program has successfully navigated the early transfer portal waters. Long term effects of COVID-19 and a new proposed rule change could alter that successful philosophy.

Before diving into the potential changes, allow me to refresh you on what transfers accomplished for Kentucky in the first season of the portal. The Nebraska wide receiver transfer (Wan’Dale Robinson) broke two long-standing single-season receiving records while catching passes from a Penn State transfer (Will Levis), who was being protected by an LSU transfer (Dare Rosenthal) at left tackle. Meanwhile, the Kentucky defense was led in tackles by an Ole Miss transfer (Jacquez Jones). It’s safe to say Stoops passed his first transfer portal test, however, the formula behind the successful transfer equation is changing.

Rules Changes Removes Scholarship Limits

The NCAA currently has a rule in place that caps a program’s new football players to 25 annually. Programs previously tried to sign close 25 high school players each year. In 2021 the Cats added 18 high schoolers, making room for seven transfers.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reports the 25-player per year cap will soon be eliminated, allowing programs to sign as many players as possible each year, as long as they remain under the 85-man scholarship limit. Why? As SI’s Ross Dellenger explains, rebuilds in the transfer portal era require much more than 25 players in the first season. Last year Shane Beamer only used 79 scholarships because more players left South Carolina than he was allowed to add to the roster.

Be eliminating the 25-person caps, a coach can get a mulligan for a bad year of additions. For example, of the 25 players added to UK’s 2019 recruiting class (including transfers), there are only six players still on the roster. Four graduated or went pro, while 15 transferred to another school. Instead of replenishing the roster over time, the new rule could allow Stoops to hit a plentiful portal hard in one particular year to make up for the swings and misses.

Moving Away from Sure Things in the Transfer Portal

In order to be successful right away, Stoops was selective in his early transfer portal additions. He meticulously chose veterans, primarily from the Power Five level, to plug in a hole on the roster and play right away. It was a wise decision. The newcomers were game ready, easy culture fits that could not eat up a scholarship for a long period of time, allowing talented underclassmen like Trevin Wallace to naturally develop without feeling squeezed out Jacquez Jones.

This offseason Stoops is slightly deviating from that model, in part thanks to long term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tayvion Robinson, Tashawn Manning and Keidron Smith certainly still fill the old mold, but not every addition this offseason checks familiar boxes. Zion Childress has experience, but the defensive back comes from the Sun Belt with three years of eligibility remaining. Jordan Robinson flipped from Appalachian State after spending a year at the Division II level. The defensive backs share one thing in common: COVID-19 dramatically cut back their exposure as high school recruits.

Searching for bodies in the secondary, Kentucky is taking some chances on players that did not get the same opportunities as many of their teammates because of the pandemic. Time will tell if this gamble is a short-term solution or a long-term strategy Stoops will implement annually when scouring the transfer portal.