ODU Coaches Say Transfer Portal Is Not Hurting Monarchs As Much as Fans Might Think

By Harry Minium

NORFOLK, Va. – If you’re an Old Dominion athletics fan, and you’re on social media, you may have seen dozens of posts recently from ODU student-athletes.

Many start out by thanking their coaches, teammates and support personnel at ODU before announcing that “I have decided to enter the transfer portal.”

There have been 42 such pronouncements since the transfer portal opened Monday, December 9, and there could be more before the portal closes. And that has caused some ODU followers to assume that ODU’s athletic teams are suffering losses that are outsized when compared with their peers.

But that is not the case, say the five ODU coaches for whose teams the transfer portal recently opened.

“The reality is that every team in the country is losing players right now. It’s happening to everybody," said Ricky Rahne, ODU's head football coach.

“There are teams in the (College Football Playoff) who are losing people to the portal.

“It’s not affecting us any differently than it’s affecting anyone else. We’re going to lose a few guys every year and we’re also going to gain some guys.”

The average FBS program has lost nearly 16 players to the portal so far and ODU is close to the norm. ODU has 17 football players in the portal, including only four starters.

Rahne recently added 32 players to ODU’s roster on national signing day, including nine junior college players. Clearly, he is not facing a roster crisis.

ODU adds players on signing day

The story is different elsewhere. Marshall lost so many players that it was forced to withdraw from its Independence Bowl game date with Army.

Ten Group of 5 programs, led by New Mexico (35) and Charlotte (29), have lost 20 or more players. Louisiana Tech will face off against Army in Marshall's place in spite of losing 20 players.

And Power 4 programs are also getting hit -- Arizona, Arkansas and Mississippi State have each lost more than 25 players.

Rahne says those large numbers can be misleading. For instance, most ODU players in the portal are not in search of greener pastures but for more playing time or for personal reasons.

Some did not have scholarships at ODU and are looking for financial aid. Nationally, more than one quarter of the 2,000 FBS players in the portal do not have scholarships.

“I never want to lose a player,” Rahne said. “But I mean, there are times when it’s best for everybody, when it wasn’t a good fit, or maybe they are a walk-on looking for a scholarship or maybe looking to play in FCS or Division II.

“Maybe a guy who didn’t play as much as he wanted to here looks at the depth chart and doesn’t see a whole lot of playing time here. He’s only got five years to play four and he wants to make sure he has the best opportunity to do that.

“These things, turnover, is going to happen.”

To better explain the transfer portal and the affect it is having on ODU, I spoke with Rahne, soccer coaches Angie Hind and Tennant McVea, volleyball coach Fred Chao and field hockey coach Andrew Griffiths, whose programs have been affected by the portal this fall

Their answers will give some insight into how the portal is truly affecting ODU.

What is the transfer portal?
All student-athletes are now allowed to transfer once a year without penalty as long as they are making sufficient progress toward a degree.

They must notify their current school and then enter the portal during designated times, and then are free to contact or be contacted by other schools.

Has the portal hurt or helped ODU athletics?
Rahne says, in the long run, it has neither hurt nor helped his program and that while the Monarchs have lost some good players, they’ve also gotten a ton of good players.

Rahne noted that running back Aaron Young transferred from Rutgers and led the Monarchs in rushing with 887 yards. Offensive lineman Zach Barlev came to ODU from Illinois and was a third-team All-Sun Belt choice.

Wide receiver Diante Vines came from Iowa and had 36 catches for ODU. Bryce Duke transferred from Virginia Tech and the junior running back was second among ODU running backs in rushing yards.

That follows the national trend in 2023 in which, according to ESPN, more Power 4 players (475) transferred to the Group of 5 than Group of 5 players (274) who moved up.

And ODU also recruited help from Group of 5 and FCS schools. Tight end Patrick Conroy transferred up from FCS Merrimack and was a standout for the Monarchs – he was a third-team All-Sun Belt choice and caught 37 passes. Will Jones II transferred from South Florida and played a leading role for ODU at safety, with 44 tackles and three interceptions.

Griffiths, Hind and Chao say the portal has helped their programs. It helps that all three programs have traditionally done well athletically and academically.

The women’s soccer team won three consecutive conference titles before falling in the Sun Belt semifinals this season and that has helped ODU attract talent.

“We’ve brought in just a few transfer players in recent years, and they’ve really helped us,” Hind said. “We’ve chosen wisely. We specifically want a player who wants to be at a program like ODU and in a culture like ours.”

Chao has six players in the transfer portal, but notes that four left in search of more playing time.

“We will have no problem in finding good players to fill our open roster spots,” Chao said.

Griffiths said it has also helped his program.

“We’ve benefitted from the portal,” he said. “When your program has a good reputation for being competitive and treating people well, you benefit from it, at least in field hockey. But, of course, we don’t have the same dynamic as football. We’re not offering people NIL money.”

The portal hurt men’s soccer in recent years, but not this fall, McVea said.

“We’ve done a much better job of retaining players,” he said. “Because we haven’t won the Sun Belt yet and we’re not an ACC school, it hurt us. But we’ve been able to convince our guys that we’re moving in the right direction and that we’re doing the right things to compete in the next couple of years.”

What role does a Collective play in helping ODU retain talent?
ODU alumni and donors announced 13 months ago the formation of the Pride of ODU, a private collective affiliated with the university that provides NIL opportunities to some student-athletes.

Rahne said the group’s help has been critical in allowing ODU to retain many football players. So far, the football program is using NIL opportunities largely to retain players rather than recruit new players.

“They’ve been critical, they’ve really helped us out,” Rahne said of ODU’s collective.

“We were a little bit slower than many schools to embrace this but ultimately, we did it the right way.

“We need people to donate to our collective. But you know, some people aren’t comfortable with that, and if they still want to help, they can donate to (the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation).

“We would love for everyone to give to the Pride of ODU. It helps the kids directly. It helps us retain and recruit. But if you’re not comfortable with that, there are so many other ways to help.”

CLICK HERE to donate to the Pride of ODU.

CLICK HERE to donate to ODAF.

Has the portal dramatically increased the workload of coaches?
“It’s hasn't hurt the product you put on the court, but it’s making your life more difficult,” Chao said. “There is no downtime at the end of the season. You’re always recruiting.”

Even before the portal officially opened, McVea had his hands full dealing with retaining his current players and looking for potential recruits to replace those who he knew would leave.  

“My mother-in-law took us to the islands on Thanksgiving week,” McVea said. “I spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on the phone while my wife took our kids to the beach.

“We’ve been on the road the last couple of weekends recruiting. We’ve had five guys on campus these last few weeks.

“Yes, it’s been hard. And I can’t imagine what it’s like for football or basketball.”

The portal has reduced coaches’ time with families, Rahne said. And the football portal remains open through Dec. 28, meaning even the Christmas break is not necessarily down time.

“It has greatly increased the workload on our coaches and staff,” Rahne said. “And that concerns me.

“But there is no sense in complaining about it. It is the way of the world now.”

Is it fair for college athletes to leave the schools that paid for their tuition, room and board, books and cost of attendance and helped develop them as students and athletes to move elsewhere?
Rahne said the answer isn’t simple but that he leans toward yes.

“If you think about it, an 18 or 19-year-old who doesn’t play college sports has that much power, right?” he said. “They can move around. But like athletes, they can’t escape the consequences of their decisions. That doesn’t necessarily mean negative consequences.

“They may have to change their major. They’re going to have to make new friends. And all at a time when they are making breakthroughs in their overall maturity level and development. They may have to find new scholarships.”

Will the frequent transfers permitted by the NCAA hurt the academic performance of student-athletes, especially in sports such as football and men’s and women’s basketball, in which transfers occur more frequently?
“I think it’s already happening and hasn’t yet been reflected in the statistics,” Rahne said. 

When you transfer from one school to another, you almost always lose credit for courese you took at your previous school. You may have to change majors. 

“In the national debate on the NIL and the portal, you hear very little about academics,” Rahne said.

Is the portal good or bad for college athletics?
As currently structured, Hind said it is not good for student-athletes, coaches or universities. The rules allowing unlimited transfers are too liberal.

“It’s created a cycle where we’re not building anymore,” she said. “There is so much uncertainty every year with unlimited transfers.

“I do think the portal is fair when it was first step up, but I think it’s lost its way a bit.”

Griffths said “it’s good in the sense that if you’re not having a good experience, you can go find a new opportunity. But on the flip side, sometimes I don’t feel like players persevere like they used to. The grass isn’t always greener, but now there’s an easy way out and often it does not lead to happy results.”

Rahne said a number of players who left ODU acknowledged to him that they made a mistake and regretted leaving.

“The one thing the transfer portal has done is keep college football and college athletics in the news," Rahne said. "There’s been a lot more coverage, whether it’s good, bad or indifferent. It’s a bit like the Hot Stove League and baseball.”

“However, we’ve got to continue to adjust to it as the rules change and learn how to thrive.”

Minium is ODU's Senior Executive Writer for Athletics. Contact him at hminium@odu.edu or follow him  on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram