The opinions of the NCAA transfer portal rules vary widely. Some praise it for increasing collegiate athletes autonomy and others see it as detrimental to team culture and development. Nonetheless, for many Howard University athletes, the portal has contributed to their newfound success.
In 2024, when the NCAA granted athletes with unlimited transfers without eligibility stipulations, transfer rates began to rise rapidly. More than 40% of men’s basketball players and 29% of women’s basketball players entered the portal preceding the 2024-25 season, according to Front Office Sports. Shortly after, roughly one-third of division one football players entered the portal for the 2025 season.
DI volleyball and softball also saw spikes in transfers, 13% and 23% respectively transferring in 2025.
Howard volleyball transfer Zenai Jethroe said she did not feel a sense of belonging in her previous program at Texas State University. She also experienced a season-ending injury, prompting her decision to take advantage of the portal. She then landed at Howard where she led the team in blocks as starting middle blocker.
“It’s all about where you’re comfortable at and it might not be a good fit,” said Jethroe, a health science major from Dallas. “You’re so young when you decide which college you’re going to and you only get a little bit of the surface of what you’re about to get yourself into.”
Junior libero Camryn Shelton initially committed to the University of Central Florida; however, she sought the portal after an unexpected experience there.
“I personally experienced a lot of racism in the athletic department, on the volleyball team and honestly just at the school in general,” said Shelton, a marketing major from Charlotte, North Carolina. “When I was going into the transfer portal, I was really big on finding a program that was majority Black or at a [historically Black college or university]…because I didn’t want to repeat the same things that I had gone through before.”
Other products of the portal include senior guard Cam Gillus and senior guard Alex Cotton, who were instrumental to the Howard men’s basketball success last season, with Gillus anchoring the offense as the starting point guard and Cotton leading the team in three-point shooting.
Some athletes even pursued the portal despite having individual success and playing key roles within their previous teams.
Men’s basketball senior guard Cedric Taylor III attended Morehouse College during his freshman and sophomore year, earning Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and leading his team in points and rebounds. His breakthrough 2025-26 season with the Bison earned him honors such as Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Newcomer of the Year, MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and various other in-season awards.
On the women’s basketball side, senior forward Zennia Thomas, a 2024 transfer out of the University of Kentucky, earned MEAC Player of the Year and spots on the All-MEAC First and Defense Team in her most recent year.
Redshirt senior Zoe Stewart played a standout role in her initial season with the Bison after transferring, helping lead the program to the highest NCAA Tournament seed in its history. She earned an All-MEAC First Team selection, led her team in three-point shooting and was a leader in points per game and field goal percentage with 11.7 points on 43% shooting.
Though many players have benefited from the portal and helped their teams achieve new milestones, there is still widespread controversy. The NCAA reports that of all student-athletes who entered the portal, only about half were able to land a roster spot elsewhere, highlighting the weight of the decision for athletes.
Additionally, unlimited transfer opportunities began to affect the longevity of rosters and made team building a fresh battle for some programs. Recruitment became a new business and many programs had to quickly adjust to the freedom granted to these young athletes.
Daniel Marks, general manager and name, image and likeness strategist for the men’s basketball team, said that the team’s high school recruiting is heavily affected. They are no longer able to guarantee incoming freshmen spots on the roster in advance, as the number of available positions can change with little notice.
“The biggest challenge is having any type of continuity rostered year to year,” Marks said. “We retained 11 players this year, which is a great mark and very rare in this day and age, but not having the ability to do a ton of long-term planning for the roster makes it challenging.”
When the transfer portal was first established in 2018, it created a smoother process for students wanting to continue their collegiate careers with new programs. However, there were notable rules that made the decision to transfer one to really think about, including losing eligibility.
Since the implementation of unrestricted and unlimited transfers, athletes no longer have to deal with these issues, subsequently leading to frequent transfers.
Men’s basketball head coach Kenneth Blakeney said that he forms emotional ties to his players throughout the season. He has since shifted his mindset to soften the blow of players departing, comparing coaching to teaching a class for a single year before the students move on.
“We’ll regroup at the end of the year and see where everything is. That’s been the greatest helpful tool that I’ve used to not be gutted the way I was gutted before,” Blakeney said.
While some sports are affected by the portal more than others, Howard volleyball head coach Shaun Kupferberg believes in the environment at Howard, emphasizing the factors that allow the program to retain players each year.
“I think the combination of athletics, academics and the culture here at Howard are all three very strong settings to build for a great four years,” Kupferberg said. “Howard University is such a family environment and to have somebody leave Howard University is a lot different than if they’re leaving some other school.”
The NCAA’s rules and regulations are constantly changing, bringing mixed feelings from fans and coaches, creating an unpredictable future in the realm of college athletics.
In this new era, Howard athletics has persisted, aiming to win titles and provide athletes with a new place to call home.
“I’m thankful that I got the opportunity to go into the transfer portal and get a second chance at a school where I feel a lot better,” Jethroe said.
Copy edited by Daryl R. Thomas Jr.