All the attention surrounding quarterbacks who switch schools has overshadowed how the transfer portal has affected the way colleges try to stockpile talent at other positions.
The Associated Press measured the impact of the transfers by tracking the top 20 prospects at every position each year from 2019-22, as rated by composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports.
As expected, the most impacted position was quarterback. Nearly two-thirds of those 80 quarterbacks already have switched schools or are currently in the portal. But about 55% of the cornerbacks and about half of the safeties, running backs, wide receivers and inside linebackers also have either transferred or are in the process of doing so.
All that movement is having a trickle-down effect on high school recruiting that has become apparent heading into Wednesday’s start of the December signing period. Since teams have a chance to fill holes in their roster with more proven players, high school prospects don’t have the same choices as they might have enjoyed before the 2021 NCAA policy change enabling athletes to transfer one time as undergraduates without sitting out a season.
“There are more kids signing probably a level down than probably ever before,” said Andrew Ivins, the director of scouting at 247Sports. “You can go through state by state, and you’ll come across kids who in previous years they’d be probably going to a Power Five program, and now they’re at the Group of Five level.”