By Isabel Laulhé
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — The transfer portal and name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities are reshaping college athletics, bringing new challenges and opportunities to minor college sports such as golf.
While these changes are most visible in high-profile college sports such as football and basketball, they are increasingly affecting low-revenue college sports.
With the introduction of the NIL in 2021, which allows athletes to promote themselves and profit from their name, image and likeness, endorsement opportunities have increased.
“With NIL, there’s a lot of players that are receiving benefits, even on the women’s side now,” New Mexico State University women’s golf head coach Danny Bowen said.
The transfer portal, introduced in 2018, has also simplified the process for athletes looking to change schools. Bowen said the system brings both advantages and disadvantages.
“It’s good in the sense that if someone needs a fresh start or doesn’t have the best situation, they’re able to find a new school,” Bowen said. “But on the other side, there’s a lot of tampering where coaches are following certain student-athletes and waiting to see if they’re going to transfer.”
When NMSU women’s golf player Emma Bunch won five consecutive tournaments during the 2023-2024 season, she experienced that attention firsthand.
“I could definitely tell that people were surprised I wasn’t in the portal already,” Bunch said.
There are several reasons athletes decide to transfer. Some move from two-year colleges to four-year universities, while others seek better scholarship opportunities, experience coaching changes or feel misaligned with their program. The search for better NIL opportunities has become a new factor in transfer decisions.
The connection between NIL and the transfer portal has widened the gap between programs with greater financial resources and those with fewer. Schools with stronger financial backing offer more competitive NIL opportunities than smaller programs.
“People just get kind of bought, and I think it’s influencing every sport,” Bunch said. “I think it’s sad that the money the school has should determine where you go, instead of focusing on where you want to be.”
Sophomore Sophia Luna of the NMSU women’s golf team transferred from the University of California, Riverside, looking for a new challenge and greater independence.
“That was easy, I just told the school I wanted to transfer and then they just put me in the portal,” Luna said. “I just didn’t know what to expect, but as soon as I entered, a bunch of schools started emailing.”
In some high-revenue college sports, coaches now prioritize experienced transfers who can contribute immediately instead of relying primarily on high school recruits.
“It takes away those opportunities for high school,” Bowen said. “I still look at high school players here in the U.S and internationally. I wouldn’t say I’ve changed my philosophy, but for the bigger sports, they absolutely have.”
What was once associated with program loyalty and long-term player development is becoming less common as the connection between the transfer portal and NIL grows. College athletics, including college golf, is adopting characteristics more commonly seen in high-profile sports.
“At least for me, I think staying loyal and remembering the people that supported you when you weren’t as good is the most important,” Bunch said. “But I think that just depends on who you are as a person and how much you value that.”
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