Can we get some transfer portal love?

[VandyManners]

Seems like every time I turn around, I am seeing a new article of someone in a high profiled program entering the transfer portal. Not everyone can transfer to UGA or Bama. Are we going to at some point get into the portal game. I know it is harder for Vandy to admit kids that are in the middle of their college career, but it seems to me at some point Vandy will need to evaluate their transfer policies if we are going to keep up. There is a lot of talent out there right now.

I want to be clear when I say I am not expecting Vandy to lower its standards but allowing someone who is academically eligible that can come in as a Junior should be an option. What do you all think?

[geeznotagain]

If we don't do better, and that will require some $, we are almost certain to fall further behind.

[VandyD]

If I remember correctly after signing day Coach Lea did a podcast and stated they'll be looking into the portal in February. Also, the host (Chris Lee) seemed to think he knew 3 or 4 guys that Vandy was not only targeting but we're likely to sign. Said he was not allowed to say names. How much of that is a done deal who knows. I heard Alex Washington was a name to watch but he committed to BC.

[FayetteDore]

This Vandymania thread entitled Coach Ralph speaks posted by Docdore on Dec. 19 is instructive on the issue, which is the first official articulation of Vanderbilt's approach that I've seen, and appears to be what VandyManners is referring to. That thread contains this quote from WBB Coach Shea Ralph: “One of the things I love about our chancellor, about Vanderbilt University, about Dr. Lee our AD, they’re not playing around with this degree. So, the transfer portal is limited for us. We can take a freshman transfer or a grad transfer. But, kind of in between, they’re not going to let you come here, take 20 credits and say you graduated from Vanderbilt. They’re not going to do it..."

She's right: this approach limits portal acquisitions. Only someone who comes in as a senior lacks 20 hours of credit, but why not accept otherwise-qualified rising juniors?

IMO, this policy can be sustained, in football at least, only as long as you don't care whether you're competitive or not. I wonder how many other "like-minded academic institutions" have similar limits?

[Lynchsr]

At this point (start of the semester) no transfer will be able to enroll until May, correct? Is there anything binding with a transfer saying he is going to Vanderbilt now? Does he sign a letter of intent? Or can he continue to try to get on somewhere else similar to a HS verbal commit? It is not quit professional free agency, where players are able to sign and enroll whenever they want.

Seems they need a transfer signing day in early April/late March.

Also are the athletes in the transfer portal now still able to attend classes on Scholarship at their original institution this semester

[AuricGoldfinger]

This is a complicated topic, not the least because there are more than one type of transfer using the portal, as I posted a few weeks ago:

https://www.14powers.com/forums/viewtop ... ck#p185505

Of course, Vandy has historically had transfers of all three types (and four, if you include junior college transfers). As noted, though, we are at a bigger disadvantage* if the school is now putting strict limits on transfers in during their undergrad years. We already know that opportunities for grad transfers are limited due to the academic competitiveness and small sizes of VU's graduate programs.

Vandy's undergraduate transfer acceptance rate for all students is 17.6%. That's low, but it's higher than the rate of acceptance for high school students. It could be much more selective, however. Stanford's most recent undergraduate transfer acceptance rate was 1.7%! That means they accepted only 55 transfer students.

I also tend to think that NIL is a huge factor right now for many transfers, and perhaps even more of a factor than transfer and grad school acceptance rates at VU.

* I used the word "disadvantage" only relative to many of our peers on the field of play.

[charlestonalum]

Please mote that Georgia did not use the portal and TCU did. The national champions recruited well, developed well, retained their talent and coached well. That is all we need to do, too. Forget the portal.

[geeznotagain]

Please mote that Georgia did not use the portal and TCU did. The national champions recruited well, developed well, retained their talent and coached well. That is all we need to do, too. Forget the portal.

Forget the portal? Holding out UGA as a model to emulate? Give me a bunch of 4-star and a few 5-star recruits to start with and I'm totally in your corner

[Nashmann]

Forget the portal LOL!!! Yeah give us all 5-star players....that's the ticket

[FayetteDore]

While we're at it, let's get out of that nasty NIL business too.

And forget the forward pass.

Maybe resurrect the single-wing offense, and return to one-platoon ball. 8-)

[charlestonalum]

While we're at it, let's get out of that nasty NIL business too.

And forget the forward pass.

Maybe resurrect the single-wing offense, and return to one-platoon ball. 8-)

Fayette caught my sarcasm, congrats

[commadore]

Saying they cannot accept transfers after their junior year is simply not correct. I transferred from Cumberland University after my sophomore year. Was simply required to have 60 hours at VU to get a Vanderbilt degree. I know people who have done the same thing in recent years They simply must have at least 60 hours, 120 total to graduate.

The problem may be in getting a soph who has 60 hours after two years.

[charlestonalum]

Saying they cannot accept transfers after their junior year is simply not correct. I transferred from Cumberland University after my sophomore year. Was simply required to have 60 hours at VU to get a Vanderbilt degree. I know people who have done the same thing in recent years They simply must have at least 60 hours, 120 total to graduate.

The problem may be in getting a soph who has 60 hours after two years.

not just 60 hours, but 60 hours that Vanderbilt will accept - big difference, of course.

[BrentVU]

Kane Patterson transferred in at midseason this time last year. He had been at Clemson two-and-a-half seasons and came in with two seasons of eligibility left.

[VandyManners]

Please mote that Georgia did not use the portal and TCU did. The national champions recruited well, developed well, retained their talent and coached well. That is all we need to do, too. Forget the portal.

I do not know if we can afford to forget the portal. You just gave us 2 teams that have very different approaches. One did not utilize the portal because they are stocked with 4- and 5-star talent and obviously knows how to develop that talent. The other team utilized the portal and went from 5-7 in 2021 to the National Championship game. I know TCU plays in a weaker conference and I know they got destroyed by UGA but imagine if we brought in some talent like TCU and let's say that talent was enough to be the difference in the Missouri, South Carolina, and Wake Forest games. We would have ended our season 8-4. That would have been a very successful season. We will probably never win the 4- and 5-star competition. We need to tap into the portal to add quality pieces. Sprinkle in some top talent looking to make a difference and we are going bowling as opposed to staying home. I think it is a viable option.

[bornadore57]

No doubt, Coach Lea and staff value every avenue for program improvement. As for the transfer portal, I'm sure it is as challenging, if not more so, for Vanderbilt as is recruiting high school players. Even with those challenges, there has been some success. As mentioned above, Kane Patterson, a local high school star, transferred from Clemson to Vanderbilt last year. He was joined by Vanderbilt-team honorees Cooper Lutz, Special Teams Player of the Year; Matt Hayball, Specialist of the Year; and Jacob Brammer, Offensive Trenches Award winner.

I'm hearing that Aeneas CoCosmo (6-2, 250, DE) has committed to Vanderbilt from Stanford. I think that to be true.

Yes, Vandy, obviously, has many different areas where there are opportunities for more success. Certainly seems that they are trying in all. Grateful for all those efforts.

[commadore]

Saying they cannot accept transfers after their junior year is simply not correct. I transferred from Cumberland University after my sophomore year. Was simply required to have 60 hours at VU to get a Vanderbilt degree. I know people who have done the same thing in recent years They simply must have at least 60 hours, 120 total to graduate.

The problem may be in getting a soph who has 60 hours after two years.

not just 60 hours, but 60 hours that Vanderbilt will accept - big difference, of course.

I replied but don't know what happened to it. I thought that was implied about the "accepted 60 hours" but maybe not. Additionally, if you transfer in with a 3.8 average, but in your 60 hours at VU you have a 2.8, you will graduate with a 2.8.

[NWOHDore]

Additionally, if you transfer in with a 3.8 average, but in your 60 hours at VU you have a 2.8, you will graduate with a 2.8.

That's pretty much the case in higher ed, writ large. A student's institutional GPA is based solely on the work at that institution.

[baseball1234]

A few solid grad transfers would go a long way. We have to show that we are moving in the right direction.
If we don't improve next season off of this season than we lose the recruiting schtick. Some older guys to help hold the fort and improve, even slightly, would help immensely.

[charlestonalum]

Please mote that Georgia did not use the portal and TCU did. The national champions recruited well, developed well, retained their talent and coached well. That is all we need to do, too. Forget the portal.

I do not know if we can afford to forget the portal. You just gave us 2 teams that have very different approaches. One did not utilize the portal because they are stocked with 4- and 5-star talent and obviously knows how to develop that talent. The other team utilized the portal and went from 5-7 in 2021 to the National Championship game. I know TCU plays in a weaker conference and I know they got destroyed by UGA but imagine if we brought in some talent like TCU and let's say that talent was enough to be the difference in the Missouri, South Carolina, and Wake Forest games. We would have ended our season 8-4. That would have been a very successful season. We will probably never win the 4- and 5-star competition. We need to tap into the portal to add quality pieces. Sprinkle in some top talent looking to make a difference and we are going bowling as opposed to staying home. I think it is a viable option.

My post should have had sarcasm alert. And even Georgia has swiped some WR's from other SEC teams since the championship.