NCAA transfer portal season has begun.
Not officially, as players cannot enter their names into the transfer portal until next week, on Dec. 9.
But throughout the day Monday, college football players from across the country announced their intention to transfer from their current programs.
That includes Utah State, which saw punter Ryan Marks and offensive linemen Teague Andersen make it public that they are going to to leave Logan.
The transfer portal has become an integral part of team construction — for good and bad — and affords players freedom of movement that college football had long lacked.
Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals offered a word of caution, though, to the many players who are thinking about transferring from their current programs, Utah State included.
In a post on X, the record-setting wide receiver wrote, “Transfer portal can be a blessing and a curse. If yo main goal the league, ball out and the league is going to find you regardless of the school! If the pt, coaching, etc. not looking good, I get it but be careful. Hate seeing great athletes lose their careers over the portal.”
Royals had many opportunities to leave USU following a breakout season in 2023, with big money offers from multiple Power programs.
After much deliberation, though, he decided to stay with the Aggies and he cited his relationship with his coaches and belief in their continued development of him.
“Definitely relationships, especially between me and Coach (Kyle) Cefalo,” Royals told the Deseret News before the season. “We’ve built that over the years and him just trusting me and knowing he can get me to the next level is probably the biggest thing (that kept me at Utah State).”
The move appears to have paid off for him.
Though injured the later third of this season, Royals still finished the year with 55 catches for 834 yards and six touchdowns. His nine catch, 211 yard and two touchdown day against Boise State drew considerable national attention and according to the most recent 2025 NFL draft projections, Royals is expected to be a at least a Day 2 pick (second or third round), with some pundits slating him as a late first round draft pick.
Royals take on the transfer portal isn’t unique.
Troy Morrell, associate head coach at Utah State, told the Deseret News that the transfer portal is the great what-if. And it doesn’t always work out the way players hope.
“There are so many what-ifs when you transfer,” Morrell said. “Am I going to fit or am I not going to fit? Am I going to like it there? I think as we go through this NIL thing, you are going to see some guys who are going to go do well somewhere else and prosper. And you are going to see guys who went somewhere else and got that lump of money and then don’t know what is going to happen after that because they couldn’t make that transition for whatever reason.”
Players aren’t going to stop transferring any time soon. The amount of transfer announcement Monday being clear evidence of that. But Royals’ experience at USU does offer proof that staying can sometimes be the best option. It was for him and Utah State.
