Five with Fry

45: Before You Jump Into The Transfer Portal, Read Your Stats And Talk To Your Coach

• Dr. Jen Fry

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Thinking about entering the transfer portal but not sure if it’s a launchpad… or a trapdoor? In this episode, we take a clear, no-nonsense look at what really happens when athletes chase a new home after the season ends—separating hype from hard numbers and feelings from facts.

We talk through the stuff no one tells you: once you hit the portal, your current coach isn’t obligated to hold your scholarship, “testing the waters” can slam a one-way door behind you, and emotional decisions can cost you playing time, money, and opportunity. We’ll walk through how scholarships actually work, what coaches look for, and why roster limits and facility access matter more than ever.

You’ll get a simple framework for deciding whether to stay and develop or move with a plan—how to read your stats honestly, use film and feedback to grow fast, advocate for clarity with your coach, and resist the peer-pressure panic of watching teammates jump ship. And if transferring is the right move, we’ll dive into recruiting 2.0: focused film, smart outreach, realistic level targeting, and what it means to compete with portal, JUCO, and incoming athletes.

The goal of this episode is simple: protect your future, avoid costly mistakes, and make a decision that supports your game, your degree, and your wallet.

If you love the episode, subscribe, share it with a teammate who needs it, and leave a review. You can find me on IG, Twitter, TikTok at @JenFryTalks or on LinkedIn at Dr. Jen Fry.

Dr. Jen Fry:

Friends, welcome to Five with Fry, where five is the magic number. Whether it's five minutes, five questions, or anything that fits in five. I dive into the big topics that matter, sometimes alone and other times with a friend. From navigating sports, conflict, to family dynamics, travel, tech, hard-hitting issues, and even politics. Nothing, and I mean nothing's off the table. This is where curiosity meets conversation, and we always sit at an intersection. I'm your host, Dr. Jen Fry of Gen Fry Talks. Let's get into it. Hey friends, welcome to the newest episode of Five with Fry. This is your hostess with the most us, Dr. Jen Fry. Today we're going to talk about the transfer portal. Fall college seasons are coming to a close. Some are going to the tournament, some aren't. Some are happy with how the season went, how they played, what their record is, some aren't. They might be happy with the record, but they're definitely not happy with their playing time. Some are upset they just set the bitch and the team didn't win. Whatever the case may be, we're going to be seeing a lot of families talking about the transfer portal and thinking, do I dip my toe into the water of the transfer portal? I just want to remind you before you decide to dip the toe in, that it's like something like 50% of men's basketball players either didn't find a home or went to a lower level. I feel like in some aspects, the transfer portal is a cemetery for those athletes who really needed some time to develop, but instead were pressured by friends and family and former coaches to get into the portal because they're better than that. They can transfer and play somewhere. Sometimes you're not going to be able to. So a few things to remember is once you go into the portal, your coach has no obligation to keep you on scholarship. Please, for your sake, do not think you can test the water and have your scholarship waiting for you. Don't think that you can just jump into the portal and your coach won't know. They will know. And your scholarship will be off into the sunset. The next thing is look at your stats and look at the level you're at. You have to think if with the stats, the level and the amount of playing time I had, will I be able to find a home? Sometimes you need another year to develop, and the stats aren't telling the whole truth. But you jump into the portal because someone told you you could, and now you're having a lot of trouble finding a home, and you're stressed out because maybe fall semester is about to be a close and you don't have anywhere to go for the spring. So look at your stats, your level, and your playing time. You know, sometimes you need to stay to develop. College athletes feel if they're not playing, they need to transfer. And yes, that can be true sometimes. Other times, your skills haven't had time to develop. You took the turkey out of the oven too early, and now everyone at Thanksgiving dinner is sick. All because you listen to some TikToker who told you to take it out halfway in. Your skills need to develop. And sometimes you're on that bench to be able to see the game better, get in there and maybe have a few times touching the ball, but realizing what you really need to work on. Sometimes you just need to develop. Another thing I've seen, don't let someone sucker you into jumping in to the portal when you actually don't want to. I have seen many people pressured, almost like a mob effect, to jump into the portal when they actually didn't want to with some teammates. And those teammates were good and got it home really easy. And now you homeless because you weren't as good as them. And you gotta figure out where you're gonna play and maybe even how to pay for school. Do not be a bandwagon jumper enter to the transfer portal because someone's telling you, yeah, you don't like it here. Yeah, the coach doesn't like you, and you jump in and you ain't got nowhere to go. Don't allow someone else's anger to make you transfer. Some folks really like the mob effect. And because you don't want to say no, you don't like conflict, you're now in the portal. I didn't want to, but and then you're in the portal looking crazy. This is why you've got to be able to advocate and stand up for yourself. Just because your teammate wants you to doesn't mean you do it. You've gotta have some advocacy in yourself to know what's gonna be best. If you haven't had an in-depth convo with your coach about your position, expectations, or future, do not get into that damn portal. You might miss a great place, a great experience, all because you are afraid of conflict. Instead of talking to the coach, you decide to jump in the portal. There's this idea of one-way doors and two days, two-way doors. A two-way two-way door is where you can make a decision, but you can also come back through the door. A one-way door is once you go through that door, that thing is locked. Do not make a one-door, one-way door decision without having in-depth conversations. Do not do it. You've got to be willing to have the conversation and then make an educated decision. The portal is recruiting all over again, especially if you're not a top player. You will be sending out video, contacting coaches, and going against other portal kids, JUCO kids, and incoming kids. Be ready to work. Many times you could sit at a top level, but then mid-level or lower level will absolutely grab you with not many stats just because you've had experience at a top level, even if you didn't get to play a lot. That is not true when it comes to mid or lower level. Understand that you will be doing the recruiting all over again and now potentially with the air of desperation. When you get into the portal, you are gonna have some schools that allow you access to the facilities to work out, some won't. Just know that you're not entitled to all of a sudden have access to the facility. You're no longer a student there. Look at them stats, look at them stats, look at the stats. They're gonna dictate a whole lot. Look at the stats. Ask yourself do I have the stats for someone to give me a full ride? Be honest with yourself, especially if you're not trying to go down. Um, coaches have no obligation to help you find a new home. They gotta now work to recruit and find someone to fill that spot. So they're in no obligation to help you find a new home. If they do, that's cool. But don't be like, my coach isn't helping me. You mean your former coach isn't helping you. D1 schools have 18 spots. So before they could take walk-ons all willy-nilly, some teams have 25 kids. That is not the case right now. So if you're like, I'll just walk on to this one school and have a great experience, that might not possibly happen. Some schools are actually having to release numbers from the rosters to make those numbers. You can take all of this with a grain of salt. But I do not want you to allow your emotions of not playing, sitting the bench, being frustrated, you got taken out, whatever it is to make a bad decision that will drastically affect your college experience or your financial one. College is expensive. If you have a full ride, make some smart decisions. If you don't have the stats and you've been sitting the bench, make some smart decisions. It is expensive out in these streets, especially if you got pay now because you wanted to listen to someone who pumped up your ego but didn't know the whole situation. You do not want to have to pay for anything because you made an emotional decision and wasn't smart about it. I want people to be happy, but sometimes you need to keep your butt at that school to develop. And you might miss out on an exceptional experience because you made an emotional decision. Don't do that. Well, friends, that's it for this episode of Five with Fry. Your dose of five insights, ideas, and inspiration. If you love what you heard, don't forget to head over to where podcasts are played to subscribe, share, and leave a review. Got a topic you want us to tackle? Drop us a message. We love to hear from you. You can come follow me on IG, Twitter, the TikTok, at Genfry Talks, or join me on LinkedIn. Look for me at Dr. Genfry. Until next time, stay curious, stay bold, and keep the conversation going. See you on the next Five with Fry.