Why college basketball players out of eligibility keep entering the transfer portal

The transfer portal is closed in men’s college basketball, and programs around the country are still catching their breath after the madness of the last month. The days of slowly developing high school recruits over four years of college is over. Nearly every roster in the sport has been upended by defections to the portal, with major bidding wars ensuing for any worthy player.

The portal has become even more chaotic in recent days as more than 150 players without any remaining eligibility have entered. There are some big names in this group, from Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin to Kansas’ Zeke Mayo to Maryland’s Julian Reese to Minnesota’s Dawson Garcia to Memphis’ Dain Dainja. All of them are hoping there’s some change in NCAA rules from pending court cases that will them to continue their college careers. Otherwise, they will need a special waiver most are unlikely to get.

With new money flowing through sport thanks to NIL, players out of eligibility are entering the portal in hopes of one last cash grab. The money being handed out to players is bigger than ever this offseason: players to reportedly get $3+ million to transfer include BYU’s Robert Wright II and USC’s Rodney Rice, while Texas Tech reportedly paid $4 million to retain JT Toppin and keep him away from the 2025 NBA Draft.

The money and the lifestyle are better in college than overseas professional options that typically present themselves for players just outside of the NBA’s radar. There’s a lot of money on the line for players with exhausted eligibility entering the portal, but do they actually have a chance of getting cleared to play?

Schieffelin and Mayo each explained their decision to enter the transfer portal on Twitter:

The hope for players out of eligibility entering the transfer portal is that the NCAA changes its rules due to pending court litigation. The NCAA has been taken to court repeatedly in recent years, and especially over the last few months. The NCAA keeps losing, and it sure seems like don’t want any more litigation.

The college sports world is waiting on the House v. NCAA settlement tied to revenue sharing in college sports that would essentially end amateurism and put some regulations in place for pay-to-play. Schools would be permitted to pay athletes an estimated $20.5 million through direct means, but it could position basketball programs and football programs against each other.

There’s far from the only court case pending right now. There’s also a lawsuit from Rutgers defensive back Jett Elad challenging that eligibility is limited to four seasons over five years. Cases by Wisconsin cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean and NC State’s Corey Coley are challenging eligibility through waiver rulings. Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia has already been granted another year of college after a court rules his junior college seasons don’t count towards his DI eligibility. Read Extra Points for a further explanation on how the NCAA’s eligibility rules are under fire.

The hope for extra eligibility is all very hypothetical right now. The NCAA has said there are no talks at this time about making eligibility changes.

All of this has become exhausting. College is supposed to be for four years. Today’s athletes have already received an extra year of eligibility through the bonus “Covid years” for players enrolled during the pandemic. The Covid years were over in men’s basketball after Florida’s national championship.

Who gets hurt by extra years for older players? Incoming freshmen, and other younger players hoping to gain bigger roles. Coaches always trust older and more experienced players over younger players even if the younger players are more talented. Just look at how it was for Michigan State freshman Jase Richardson to get a bigger role this year. Richardson did not start or play more than 25 minutes in a game until the second week of Feb. As soon as head coach Tom Izzo put him in the lineup for real, he immediately became the team’s best player.

The number of players without eligibility has made the portal even more confusing and chaotic for coaches. College basketball is on fire right now.

College sports have never faced more uncertainty than they do right now. For once, it’s the players who are benefitting from it. That’s perfectly fine for players who still deserve to be college athletes. It’s taking it a step too far when players without eligibility want one more cash grab.