Inside the Transfer Portal: 2021 By the Numbers

The book is closed, the door is shut, and the year 2021 is officially done.

With roughly a month to go until Division II softball season begins, and just a few days longer before the Division I season starts, we decided to take a look back at just how big of an impact the transfer portal had over the last 365 days.

Let’s go… by the numbers!

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1,294 – The total number of softball players who entered the transfer portal from 1/1/21 to 12/31/21.

This number includes any player who entered the portal, from any division and with any ultimate conclusion.

177 – The number of players who entered the portal and later withdrew their names.

Players who enter the portal can withdraw their names at any times; reasons for doing so could be planning to stay at their current school; pursuing solely academics at another school; or simply deciding the timing isn’t right to transfer at the time. Players who withdraw from the portal can still enter it again should they choose to do so.

481 – Portal entrants who have enrolled in new schools.

After a player enters the portal and then chooses a new school, once they have enrolled in their new school, that status is reflected within the portal. Think of it like a neon sign for each player: “The portal did its job for me!”

390 – Division II softball athletes who entered the portal.

Just in case you thought transferring was solely a D1 affair, not so. The portal is open to any D1, D2, or D3 student-athletes – and they can transfer to any level they wish. Some D2 players change levels – some go D1, others choose D3 – but a good many simply follow their path to another program at their current level.

39 – Division III softball athletes who entered the portal.

D3 players aren’t as frequent as portal entrants, which stands to reason given Division III’s no-scholarship status and many players’ reasons for choosing a certain school also being what keeps them in one place for their careers. D3 has had easily the smallest representation within the portal since its introduction.

749 – Athletes still listed as “Active” members of the portal.

Once again, the number isn’t infallible but it is jaw-dropping. Sometimes players do enter the portal with a different goal in mind and don’t ultimately transfer to play elsewhere; some of the time in such cases, they would still be reflected as an Active portal entrant. But the lion’s share of those still listed as Active either did not ultimately transfer to play at a new school or may have transferred outside the NCAA’s jurisdiction (such as to NAIA).