Over 1,000 athletes entered the transfer portal within the first 24 hours of its opening at 12 a.m. on Dec. 5. The college football world is changing quickly and this is a huge change in the game that allows the top players to change their scenery in a heartbeat.

The transfer portal is a database that allows college athletes to transfer to a different school and play for them there. Recently the NCAA changed the rules to allow players to play in the immediate season following the transfer so the players face no repercussions to leave their school. This has caused the usage to skyrocket and now so many athletes are looking for a new home during this time period.

This has been a trend that the local teams have been a little late to catch on to. Iowa State has had some players enter the transfer portal, the biggest impact being WR Sean Shaw Jr . They have yet to get a big commit but it is very early in this transfer portal session and they still have time to pick up players to round out their team. 

The Iowa Hawkeyes have made a lot of noise, good and bad, in the transfer portal for the first time in what seems like forever. The first and biggest one being former Michigan quarterback and Big Ten Champion, Cade McNamara. But other namely ones being linebacker Jestin Jacobs leaving Iowa. Jacobs was a very talented linebacker with what seemed like unlimited potential. He only played in four games this season before suffering a torn bicep, whichever team picks him up will be getting a gem of a football player. The Hawks’ undoubtedly most talented receiver, Keagan Johnson, entered the portal just hours before McNamara committed. Johnson has been a playmaker since he arrived on campus but injuries kept him off the field this year, which will be a huge loss for Iowa. Other players to leave have been receiver Arland Bruce IV, Defensive Backs Reggie Bracy, Terry Roberts, and running back Gavin Williams. The Hawks are making pushes for some talented players in the portal but no commits other than McNamara yet, that is set to change in the coming weeks.

Some say that the transfer portal is bad for the sport. The biggest thing separating college football from the NFL is the business aspect, these transfer portal rules as well as NIL deal rules are two giant steps toward becoming a full blown business. Whether that is good or bad is up to you to make that choice.