New Boston College coach Bill O’Brien aimed to create a professional-style method to meet the rising demands of recruiting in the era of the transfer portal. North Carolina State’s Dave Doeren recognized the same need in his 12th season.
Coaches, both experienced and new, in the Atlantic Coast Conference and across the country are working to enhance their staff to adapt to the major changes that allow players to transfer easily between schools and benefit from their own popularity in the last four years.
This involves athletic departments setting up their own front offices similar to those in the NFL, which can prepare for potential transfers and conduct scouting before the transfer portal opens, allowing teams to make their official offers.
“We’re continuing to grow,” said California coach Justin Wilcox, whose team is in its first ACC season.
“I think that’s the one area where you’re going to really see teams continue to grow, personnel-wise. The recruiting department, call it whatever you want, the personnel department — absolutely.”
Coaches are no longer relying solely on recruiting high school players and developing them over time to strengthen their programs. Instead, they can now access a steady stream of experienced college players who are ready to transfer.
According to data from 247Sports, the 68 schools in the Power Four conferences—ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and Southeastern—along with Notre Dame, added 1,063 transfers ahead of the 2024 season, averaging 15.9 transfers per school. About 17% of these transfers (179) were four-star prospects, and six were five-star additions.
In the ACC specifically, schools brought in an average of 14.8 transfers, with 2.2 of those being four-star talents. Clemson is a notable exception, as Dabo Swinney largely avoids using the transfer portal.
