Caitlin Clark says college transfer should sit out a year because of ‘outrageous’ recruiting tactics
Caitlin Clark let her watchsharing a hot take on Travis and Jason Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast on Thursday.
Clark specifically spoke against the frequency of using portals for college athlete transfers in football.
“Where college recruiting has gone is crazy,” Clark said.
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She agreed with Travis on that NCAA should revert to its previous rules that players transferring from one school to another should sit out a full year before playing for a new school. However, Clark said exceptions should be made for athletes on teams that lose a head coach.
“I agree,” Clark said when Travis talked about bringing back the old system. “Or you get a free pass if your coach leaves. … But now we have people at the fourth school in the seventh year. It’s getting outrageous.”
Travis Kelce and Caitlin Clark. (Imagin)
Players have been transferring at historic rates in recent years after the transfer portal was introduced in October 2018. Prior to the introduction of the transfer portal, athletes needed permission from their coaches or sporting directors and were often denied those requests.
The transfer portal became even more widely used after universities legalized NIL contracts as incentives for 2021 recruiting. From 1906 until the summer of 2021, players were prohibited from making any money from their college athletic careers.
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NOTHING is often the main factor for many athletes when choosing a school.
“It’s crazy. … Adam Schefter reports like, ‘Yeah, they agreed to a new contract to keep him in college,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, where else is he going to go?'” Clark said.
In 2023, the NCAA tried to tighten its restrictions, instituting a new rule that allowed underclassmen only one transfer without a break a year. But an additional transfer as an undergraduate required the NCAA to grant a waiver that would allow the athlete to compete immediately.
Iowa players, including guard Caitlin Clark, front center; front Hannah Stuelke, front left; and guard Kate Martin (20) celebrate after the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight game against Louisville on March 26, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Caean Couto)
But the rule sparked so much controversy that the NCAA was forced to issue a statement condemning “violent — and possibly criminal — threats made against board members” over the rule. The NCAA eventually dropped the rule in March 2024 in response to a lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Education, the District of Columbia and 10 states.
Athletes are now freer and more motivated than ever before. Clark never took advantage of this system.
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She spent her entire four-year NCAA women’s basketball career at Iowa. She said college sports Kelces has lost the sense of amateurism that separated it from professional sports.
“It’s kind of sad. You lose a little bit of that amateurism of college sports, and that’s why it’s so much fun,” Clark said. “It’s basically an indoor soccer league now.”
Travis agreed with Clark.
Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark reacts during an interview during the WNBA draft on April 15, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
“I’m too old school. I didn’t get a chance to transfer, so yeah,” Travis said.
Travis spent four years at the University of Cincinnati from 2009 to 2012, but played just three seasons of football after being suspended his sophomore year in 2010 for marijuana use.
Jason, who played his entire college career in Cincinnati as a walk-on running back turned offensive lineman, criticized players who leave before the playoffs.
“I don’t think people should leave before the playoffs. I think they should realize that. I kind of think there should be a level of commitment from a college player that doesn’t exist right now,” he said. .
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