John Calipari names what disappoints him the most about the transfer portal era

John Calipari has adapted to the times with immediate eligibility via the transfer portal. But the Arkansas basketball coach thinks it has had an unfortunate impact on young players out of high school.

The topic came up during Calipari’s Tuesday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

“I used to recruit 6, 7, 8 freshmen. Can’t do it. Most you can get now are 3 to 4,” Calipari told McAfee.

In the portal era, teams remake their rosters every offseason. As such, coaches like Calipari have had to become stingy with scholarships to address immediate needs in the lineup. After all, why take a chance on a high school prospect when a veteran player with starting experience can be found in the portal?

“There are kids in the United States that are freshmen that deserve scholarships to college that are not… there are 700-800 that will not get scholarships, and they’re good enough,” Calipari said. “But we’re all waiting for transfers now. That is what disappoints me the most. … I won’t change, I just can’t do as many (freshman scholarships).”

As far as Arkansas’s current class, Calipari has 3 signees for the No. 4 class in the nation on the 247Sports Composite.

"There are freshman kids in the United States that deserve scholarships that aren't getting them..

They're good enough but we're all waiting for transfers..

That is what disappoints me the most"@CoachCalArk #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/yUwjf89vuw

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 25, 2025

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.