The Transfer Portal Shake-Up: How NCAA Rule Changes Are Reshaping Track and Field
In college track and field, simply being a top-tier athlete is no longer enough. At the Division I level, if you’re not Olympic caliber, your chances of winning are slim. Just ask Favour Ashe, a sprinter who has finished second in the NCAA 100m finals twice—once for Tennessee and again for Auburn. In both cases, his performance directly impacted his team’s placement in the NCAA Championships.
But beyond his on-track success, Ashe’s latest move has raised eyebrows: a mid-year transfer to Oregon, right before the start of the indoor season. His decision, and the growing trend of high-profile track and field transfers, is part of a much larger issue—the transfer portal chaos and new NCAA eligibility rules that could make recruiting in track and field more complicated than ever.
The Transfer Portal: A Blessing or a Curse?
When Ashe’s transfer was announced, it caught many by surprise—not just because he switched schools again, but because he did so mid-academic year, a rare move in track and field. Typically, mid-year transfers have little time to adjust to new training systems, making it a risky decision for any athlete. But for someone as talented as Ashe, teams are willing to take that risk.
The transfer portal era has changed the game completely. Unlike in the past, when transferring required sitting out for a year, today’s athletes can enter the portal and become instant free agents, looking for better opportunities. The result? Schools are now prioritizing proven college athletes over high school recruits, shifting the entire recruiting landscape.
NCAA Rule Changes: Making Recruiting Even Tougher
As if the transfer portal wasn’t already causing enough disruption, the NCAA is considering two major eligibility changes that could shake up recruiting even further:
1. Extending eligibility to five years instead of four.This would allow college athletes an extra year of competition, similar to what happened during the COVID eligibility extension.
The unintended consequence? More athletes staying in the system longer, limiting roster spots for incoming freshmen.
2. JUCO athletes’ eligibility will no longer be impacted by their junior college years.
Currently, JUCO athletes lose years of eligibility while competing at the junior college level.
If the rule passes, they could compete for two years in JUCO and still have up to five years in the NCAA, giving them a huge advantage over high school recruits.
What This Means for High School Athletes
For years, JUCO athletes were seen as riskier recruits because they had limited eligibility remaining. But under these new rules, that concern disappears. As a result, D1 coaches may start favoring JUCO transfers over high school athletes—especially since JUCO athletes already have college competition experience.
If these changes go through, the recruiting process will become even tougher for high school sprinters and distance runners. The number of available spots will shrink while the number of eligible athletes skyrockets.
The Harsh Reality: It’s All About Speed
At the end of the day, track and field remains brutally simple: if you’re fast enough, someone will take a chance on you. The transfer portal is a high-stakes game, and while it works for elite athletes like Favour Ashe, most athletes don’t have the same luxury.
So if you’re a high school athlete dreaming of a D1 scholarship, here’s the truth:
✅ The portal is an option—but not always the best one.
✅ Recruiting is shifting toward JUCO and proven college athletes.
✅ The only way to guarantee a spot is to run faster than the competition.
The NCAA’s rules are reshaping track and field, making it harder than ever for young athletes to break through. If you want to succeed at the D1 level, one thing is clear: talent alone may not be enough anymore to get recruited.