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Not long ago, the high school prospect was the alpha and the omega of recruiting classes.
No more.
Thank the transfer portal for that paradigm change.
Now, schools are holding back scholarships—Five? Seven?—each year to allow for the addition of transfer portal players.
“It's created change, no question,” said a Big Ten head coach. “We're still heavily in the high schools. I think that's what we need to be doing. I don't want to rely solely on the portal.
“Before, you'd say we're gonna take 25 guys from high school in a given year. Now, we're probably gonna take 15-18 out of high school of that 25 and then the balance will probably be transfers.”
Adds a Group of Five head coach: “If every school holds five spots, that's a lot of scholarships.”
Indeed, it is. If each of the 64 schools from the five Power Five leagues holds back five scholarships a year to accommodate portal transfers, that comes to 320 scholarships that otherwise would have been filled almost entirely with high school players.
It will be interesting to see how the recruiting of prep players is impacted by recent news that the NCAA Division I Council is waiving the initial counter scholarship limits for two years. Previously, schools were limited to 25 initial counters—plus as many as seven to compensate for players lost to the portal. But now, schools can sign as many players needed in a given year to reach the 85 total scholarship limit.
“I still think that coaches are gonna keep building based on what they believe,” said a FBS head coach. “And we haven't changed our philosophy in being a program that loves to develop high school student-athletes.
“However, we're willing to adapt to that. It might not necessarily be 25 high school students anymore that have initial scholarships for that overall class. It could take a turn into three-quarters high school student-athletes, or half high school student-athletes that you normally would take and then half portal. Some people are doing all portal. That way, student-athletes can't leave (because you can transfer just once and not have to sit out). There's other philosophies of what you're thinking that truly fit you.”
Transfers decrease the number of scholarships available for high school prospects, despite the fact that a program might still be under the 85 total limit. This waiver will allow programs more flexibility over the next two academic years to fill rosters and use the scholarships how they deem fit.
“We're still gonna take high school kids and try to do it the right way as much as we can,” said a second Big Ten head coach. “But you definitely have to leave room and take less (to allow) for transfers. It's just the way it is. Even if you think you don't want to take a lot of transfers, you may have guys leaving yourself now with the way this tampering is going on. So, that's why the high school kids will get a little bit less attention.”
One dynamic that could impact how a coach builds his recruiting class: job status.
“I think it has to do maybe with how long your contract is,” said a third Big Ten head coach. “Are you on the hot seat? Are you playing the short game or the long game?
“We are going to be a high school and a scholastic recruiting program. When I lose 20 high school guys, I'm gonna go work my tail off to sign 20 high school guys. And then medical DQ, or guys who are going to the portal, then I'm gonna go into the portal and fill those scholarships. So, that way, you keep a culture. That way, you keep the scholastic model where it needs to be and that way you keep your program numbers that make sense. If you just live in the portal, your roster management numbers, you may have to sign seven o-linemen in one year. You don't want to do that. So, you want to try to keep some semblance of balance in your scholarship allotments by position, by class.”
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