By: Sam Morris

Sam Morris is from Madison Heights, Michigan, and is an undergraduate student at BGSU majoring in Sports Management. He has a passion for sports writing and journalism. In his free time, he also performs, writes, and produces his own rap music.

November 15, 2024

Transfer Portal Background Info

Sports law experts at Greenspoon Marder say that “the transfer portal has become a free agency bonanza.” Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is no exception to this trend, as its 18 varsity sports have all used the transfer portal in 2024.

Since its creation in 2018, tens of thousands of student-athletes have used the portal. According to NPR, the NIL rule in 2022 has increased the applicant pool even more in the past two years.

Football is one of the sports for which the portal has gained the most attention. BGSU football has used it to turn their program around.

Falcon Football and Blane Cleaver

After spending three years at Army West Point, Blane Cleaver, senior tight end for the Falcons, became one of the many BGSU football transfers this past offseason.

Blane Cleaver, BGSU Falcons senior tight end

“I decided to step away (because) the balance between trying to play division one football with academics and the military was pretty challenging; and I just wanted a fresh start,” said Cleaver.

He got that fresh start with the Falcons after entering a chaotic April transfer portal process.

“I talked to between 20-30 schools,” he said. “I had calls, texts, (and) voicemails from the moment I woke up to dinner time.” 

He eventually narrowed it down to three schools. He made his final decision after coming to Bowling Green for a visit.

“When I got to campus, I really liked everything I saw,” said Cleaver.

He believes the transfer portal is a huge positive for mid-sized schools like BGSU.

“If someone’s at Ohio State and they’re not playing, it’s very easy for them to take a step back to a bit of a smaller school, or guys at an FCS can take that step up and make an impact as well,” he said.

BGSU football has seen both cases recently impact their team. Former Indiana quarterback, Connor Bazelak, is now BGSU’s starting quarterback. Former Samford cornerback, Jordan Oladokun, is one of BGSU’s top defenders.

Falcon Hockey and Owen Ozar

Owen Ozar, senior forward for BGSU Hockey

BGSU hockey has also been impacted by the transfer portal recently, getting Owen Ozar, a senior forward from Denver, in the last offseason.

“I chose to come to Bowling Green because they showed that they had a lot of interest in me,” said Ozar.

He had a similar reason for transferring as Cleaver but went through a much quicker transfer portal process.

“I decided to tell the (Denver) coaches that I was going to try to go to a different school because I wanted to play more,” he said. “After that exit meeting, within a day or two, I was in the transfer portal. Then, two or three days after that, I committed to Bowling Green.”

Ozar also believes the transfer portal has been a positive for BGSU hockey in recent years.

“Last year, we picked up two fifth-years that ended up being some of our top goal scorers. This year, we picked up a lot of good players as well, like Jackson Niedermayer from Arizona State,” he said.

Unlike football, small schools like Denver compete for national championships in hockey. Ozar believes that these are the teams mid-sized schools like BGSU can target.

“There are a lot of good hockey players on those teams that just don’t get the opportunity. I think schools like Bowling Green can take those players and use them to their advantage,” said Ozar.    

A BGSU Student Perspective

While student-athletes largely see the transfer portal in a positive light, the public opinion is more of a mixed bag.

Josh Lalik, BGSU freshman SM student

Josh Lalik, a BGSU freshman sport management student, believes there are both pros and cons of the transfer portal.

“I think it’s overall been a positive, but there have definitely been negative impacts,” said Lalik. “A Group of Five guy like Grayson McCall could have a great season and move on to bigger and better things.”

The McCall example Lalik gives put Coastal Carolina football at a major disadvantage. Their star player left, and they could do nothing about it.

Another major negative of the transfer portal is that it is extremely risky. Some athletes get stuck in a situation where they do not end up landing at a new school at all.

Conclusion

Like most other trends in sports, the NCAA transfer portal will continuously evolve. There are some negatives, but the overall sentiment from the athletes themselves is that it is a positive for collegiate athletics.