Vaqueros and the transfer portal

UTRGV navigates the new reality of college athletics

UTRGV’s athletic programs have been no stranger to the bevy of changes to the inner workings of college athletics in recent years, from revenue sharing to name, image and likeness and the transfer portal.

With the transfer window closing this week for several fall sports programs, UTRGV’s head coaches are continuing to navigate the reality of having to fill in portions of their rosters every season.

Introduced in October 2018, the transfer portal allows student athletes to transfer to another program after a complete season. It, alongside the NCAA’s decisions to allow student athletes to profit off their own NIL, as well as allowing athletic programs to share revenue with student athletes, has transformed the landscape of collegiate sports.

Molly Castner, deputy director of Athletics, has worked in college athletics for 15 years and at UTRGV for the past six. She said “this is definitely not the same old Athletics department.”

“The things that [student athletes] are going through are different,” Castner said. “So, we need to keep up with that. Athletics needs to keep up with that. The NCAA needs to keep up with that.”

According to the deputy director, UTRGV Athletics is “trying to figure out” where they fit in the national landscape of NIL, revenue sharing and the portal in relation to other schools across the country and in its own conference.

“It’s looking at our competition in the Southland [Conference] and trying to figure out where we fit in with that,” she said.

UTRGV does not have a NIL collective, a third-party organization not affiliated with the university that helps facilitate NIL deals between student athletes and businesses.

Men’s basketball head coach Kahil Fennell told The Rider the portal has “completely changed the dynamic for college athletics,” describing this new dynamic as “the Wild West.”

“It’s hectic for everybody,” Fennell said. “Some people have some better resources. … But, as far as dealing with the landscape, everybody’s in the same boat. So, we have to win it just like anyone else.”

The transfer portal for men’s basketball closed April 22, and Fennell confirmed guards KT Raimey and RJ Nance departed UTRGV through the portal. 

The team has made additions to backfill these losses. Forward Dane Christensen transferred from Gillette College, a junior college in Wyoming. Entering his sophomore year as a Vaquero, Fennell called him a “winner” and “a tough kid.”

“As a player, he can shoot it and he can handle it a little bit,” the head coach said. “He’s big, 6 [feet], 8 [inches], and he’s tough and physical. So, I’m excited about what he brings to the table.”

UTRGV Volleyball head coach Todd Lowery said the difference in scouting freshmen recruits over scouting established players for portal transfers is that, while programs have to send scouts to watch them in person, video already exists of established college players.

“We’re all part of a video-sharing network,” Lowery said. “So, basically, we can see every single match [of] any Division I athlete that we want.”

Castner said while rosters continually change due to the transfer portal, UTRGV’s coaches have, to this point, done a good job of managing these changes.

“Now, you’re looking at new rosters maybe every year or a big chunk of your roster being new every year,” she said. “We got to get used to adapting to new students every year and our coaches are doing a phenomenal job with that.”