Winning the Transfer Portal: How Universities Can Use Student Athlete Score Data to Recruit Top Talent

By Kema Rugara

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The transfer portal has completely restructured collegiate athletics, creating a fast-paced, competitive recruiting environment where programs must move quickly to secure top talent. In this new era, colleges and universities need more than just game film and stat sheets—they need real-time athlete marketing intelligence to differentiate their programs and land the best transfers.

At Student Athlete Score, we help universities gain a competitive edge in portal recruiting by providing data-driven insights into an athlete’s brand value, social presence, and marketability—factors that are increasingly influencing recruiting decisions. For example, in the past few years, the University of Colorado has had exponential growth in the social media space due to expert moves made by Head Coach Deion Sanders (Coach Prime), who has over 7 million followers across all platforms. The two college football players with the most NIL deals are Shadeur Sanders and Travis Hunter (two transfers that entered the portal two seasons ago), who both play for the Colorado Buffs and have raked in over 5 million dollars in NIL deals within the past two years. For athletes looking to grow their brand and get paid during college for their Name, Image, and Likeness, Colorado is a fantastic option, and because of their commitment to getting NIL deals for their athletes, there is a lot of incentive for players to commit to a school like the University of Colorado Boulder.

Why Athlete Marketing Data Matters in the Portal

Athletes today aren’t just choosing schools based on facilities and playing time. They’re asking:

1. How can this program help me build my brand?
2. What kind of NIL opportunities will I have here?
3. Will I have exposure that helps me maximize my career beyond sports?

With NIL now a major factor in recruitment, coaches and recruiting coordinators must be prepared to answer these questions with data-backed insights. That’s where our platform comes in.

How Student Athlete Score Helps Universities Recruit in the Transfer Portal (as a student-athlete, you can also use SA Score data to pick the best fit for you once you hit the transfer portal. Stay tuned for that article!)

1. Evaluate an Athlete’s Brand & Marketability

Before offering a scholarship, coaches can assess an athlete’s social media following, engagement rate, and brand partnerships to determine their marketing potential. If an athlete has a strong NIL presence, they could be a major asset for your program—both on and off the field.

Hypothetically, you’re recruiting a star guard in the portal. Using Student Athlete Score, you quickly see that she has a growing TikTok following and local brand deals—meaning she’s not just an impact player but also a valuable marketing asset for your program. As long as she performs well on the court, field, track, or gym, she should perform well off of it too.

2. Show Athletes Their NIL Earning Potential at Your School

Every school talks about NIL opportunities, but how many can actually prove it with data? Our platform helps universities show recruits:

• How similar athletes at their position have performed in NIL deals
• How their local market compares to other schools in terms of brand deals
• What kind of earning potential they could expect based on program history

Data = Credibility. Instead of making vague NIL promises, you can show portal recruits real NIL success stories from your program.

3. Benchmark Against Other Schools

Recruits in the portal are often choosing between multiple schools. Our platform allows universities to compare their NIL ecosystem to competitors, showing recruits how they stack up against other programs in their conference or across the country.

For example, if your football program is battling a rival school for a top QB, our platform can provide a side-by-side comparison of NIL activity, brand deals, and social media growth rates to help your coaches pitch the program’s advantage.

4. Identify Under-the-Radar Talent Before Your Competitors

Most schools focus on the biggest names in the portal—but what about hidden gems with breakout potential? Our AI-powered scouting tool helps universities:

• Discover undervalued athletes with fast-growing social media traction
• Find rising stars before they blow up
• Identify athletes who are a perfect brand fit for their school’s ecosystem

Again, think hypothetically. A volleyball player from a mid-major conference enters the portal. She isn’t on every coach’s radar yet, but our data shows she’s gaining serious traction on Instagram and has an engaged local fanbase—making her a sleeper NIL star. Your program now has an edge in recruiting her before the competition catches on.

5. Save Time & Improve Recruiting Efficiency

Tracking every athlete in the portal is overwhelming. SA Score centralizes all relevant NIL and marketing data in one place, saving coaches and recruiting staff hours of manual research. Instead of spending days compiling social media stats and endorsement history, universities can instantly access key insights and make informed recruiting decisions faster.

Efficiency = Speed = More Wins in the Portal.

The Future of Recruiting: Data-Driven & NIL-Focused

Since it’s induction in 2018-19, the number of student athletes hitting the portal each year is steadily increasing. Just last week, the college basketball portal opened up, and 700 players entered within the first 24 hours! For reference, the NCAA record for first-day transfer requests was 291 in 2024. The transfer portal isn’t slowing down. Schools that embrace athlete marketing intelligence will have a major recruiting advantage over those still relying on outdated methods. Student Athlete Score helps colleges and universities get with the program so that they can get these athletes to their programs.

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