College football transfer portal: Are Group of Five programs actually being raided by power conferences?

In the brand new world of recruiting with no transfer restrictions and NIL, there’s a harsh actuality for Group of Five groups as of late. When a Group of Five coach walks right into a recruit’s college or house, he’s absolutely conscious that if he will get that recruit to commit, and if that recruit turns into a prime participant, there’s a great likelihood he’ll quickly lose him to a Power Four college.

In the 2024 transfer cycle, 247Sports has five Group of Five players ranked within the prime 75 general, and all 5 have transferred to Power Four colleges:

The notion is that Group of Five colleges are being raided each offseason by Power Four conferences, and that their rosters are being left naked as a result of of the transfer portal. Perception isn’t at all times actuality, although, so we did a deep dive into the transfer numbers to see if that is actually the case for Group of Five conferences.

In this previous transfer window, Group of Five colleges misplaced 239 gamers to Power Four programs. That works out to round 4 gamers for every Group of Five program. Sixty of 62 Group of Five programs have misplaced no less than one transfer to a Power Four college this yr, with Army and Sam Houston State being the lone exceptions. New Mexico State, James Madison, and San Diego State have been hit the toughest after dropping no less than 10 transfers to Power Four colleges.

Schools that misplaced essentially the most transfers to Power Four

• New Mexico State — 13
• James Madison — 12
• San Diego State — 10
• Ohio — 9
• Memphis — 8 

Normally, all of the speak is about Group of Five colleges dropping their prime expertise to power conferences, nevertheless it additionally works each methods. So far, 325 power-conference gamers have transferred to Group of Five colleges, that means Group of Five colleges have actually added 86 extra power-conference gamers than they’ve misplaced. Schools like Charlotte, North Texas, Marshall, East Carolina, and Nevada have loaded up on essentially the most Power Four transfers on this cycle.

Schools that gained essentially the most Power Four transfers

• Charlotte — 16
• North Texas — 16
• Marshall — 15
• Nevada — 14
• East Carolina — 13

Seeing that Group of Five and Power Four transfers are extra of a two-way avenue than most understand, the fact is that the transfer portal for Group of Five programs is actually extra of a top quality vs. amount scenario. They’re dropping lots of prime gamers to power-conference colleges, however they’re additionally including much more power-conference gamers to their very own rosters and giving guys that have been caught on the underside finish of SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC rosters an opportunity to play. In reality, the one Group of Five convention that misplaced extra transfers to Power Four colleges than it gained is Conference USA (-14).

2024 Group of Five transfer additions and subtractions

• Incoming Power Four gamers: 325
• Players misplaced to Power Four colleges: 239
• Difference: +86

The numbers don’t lie, and whereas every circumstance is completely different — particularly when a participant is dropping down a degree — there are actually alternatives for Group of Five colleges to take former power-conference gamers and provides them the enjoying time or larger position that they weren’t receiving earlier than. One instance can be Luke McCaffrey, who appeared in 11 video games and began two video games at quarterback for Nebraska in 2019 and 2020 within the Big Ten. Fast ahead three years after a transfer to Rice, a place change to vast receiver, and 13 receiving touchdowns in 2023, and McCaffrey was chosen within the third spherical of the NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders.

The hit charge of former power-conferences gamers transferring to Group of Five colleges after which getting drafted is extraordinarily low, however there are success tales the place gamers received a brand new alternative to play at that degree and succeeded. Running again Peny Boone had 258 yards speeding and two touchdowns in two seasons at Maryland earlier than transferring to Toledo, the place he was eighth within the FBS with 1,400 yards speeding and 16 complete touchdowns in 2023. He went from a Big Ten backup to the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. Now, Boone has transferred again to the Power Four this offseason and can look to steer the UCF speeding assault in 2024.

While the notion that Group of Five colleges are being raided by power conferences for his or her prime expertise is true, the fact is that Group of Five programs even have an opportunity to construct their rosters with power-conference gamers, too. Group of Five coaches know that the subsequent McCaffrey or Boone simply dedicated to a Power Four college and that it’s solely a matter of time till they get an opportunity to alter somebody’s profession trajectory as a result of of the portal.