The reason why college basketball players with no remaining eligibility are entering the NCAA transfer portal

There have been more than 2,000 men’s college basketball players enter the transfer portal each of the last two years amid a growing epidemic of player movement in the NIL era. But a new twist in the portal trend has emerged of late with the deadline to enter the portal strikes Tuesday night: players with no remaining eligibility throwing their name into the transfer market. 

Yes, that’s right: Players whose college eligibility has expired — some of whom have even played five seasons — are entering the transfer portal.

The moves come with the looming House vs. NCAA antitrust settlement decision looming as soon as this month that could change NCAA eligibility rules, and in theory may offer a new framework on the previous four-year eligibility clock that has long been in place. The case hangs over the sport as coaches and players await the ruling, which could have a significant impact on what teams and players do in the coming months and how rosters are constructed.

With so much uncertainty surrounding that case and how it may be ruled on, players seem to be portaling with no remaining eligibility on the hope of keeping flexibility open. Technically doing so is legal, though at the moment it amounts to no more than a waste of clerical work. 

Clemson star Ian Schieffelin, who is one of the latest to enter the portal Monday despite playing his four full college seasons with the Tigers and having no eligibility left, explained his own reasoning for doing so on social media. The gist of it boils down to what he was advised to do in an effort to keep all options on the table.

Kansas star Zeke Mayo, who played three seasons at South Dakota State before playing out his final year of eligibility with the Jayhawks, offered up a similar explanation.

Schieffelin and Mayo are one of many who played four years at the college level seeking more eligibility along with Schieffelin’s former Clemson teammate Ben Middlebrooks, who played the last two seasons at NC State.

Several players who played five seasons are also seeking additional eligibility by portaling, which includes Eddie Lampkin Jr. and Lucas Taylor, who both played at Syracuse last season. 

The NCAA’s rule on eligibility has always centered around a five-year eligibility clock — which is to say that athletes have always been given five years to play four seasons, pending special injury exemptions or waivers. That rule could also be challenged pending litigation in New Jersey. In that case, a potential injunction could throw into question the enforceability of the five-year rule by the NCAA.

There are a lot of balls in the air floating in courthouses across the country that may shape the college athletics landscape and eligibility rules as we know it. So with uncertainty on that front, players are taking a proactive approach to portaling while waiting to learn more on rulings in the near future.