How to Win the Transfer Portal with Developmental Sports Analytics (DSA) Software

Coaches and general managers are by now deep in the process of sifting through the transfer portal for next season's talent. The process is chaotic, messy, and involves a huge dose of subjective "analysis." The current ESPN transfer portal rankings, for example, are based on "production, experience, potential, demand and feedback from coaches and general managers throughout the sport." In other words, "we talked to people who watch a lot of football and they told us who was good."

While expert opinion and experience should absolutely be a part of the process, there are principled ways to use data to help overcome the laundry list of human biases and failures of intuition that cloud even expert judgement.

Yes, we are talking about analytics. The term has unfortunately been severely overused/misused to the point where it has been (justifiably) criticized. However, when applied properly and in a principled fashion, analysis of player data can be of immense value in finding hidden talent and avoiding the dreaded "bust."

We have been analyzing the transfer portal for several years and have used our software to accurately predict success at all levels of the college game. We start with raw player data, find the metrics that best predict future performance, and then combine those metrics into a single index that we use to rank players. The analysis also includes strength of schedule, division (e.g., FCS, FBS), and conference. The result is a comprehensive look at player performance that can be "fine-tuned" to a team's specific needs. If you value ball security over completion percentage, for example, you can adjust metric weights within the software and immediately see how QB rankings change.

In short, DSA Labs software is the simplest way to sift through thousands of players and instantly find what you're looking for. Our engine updates in real time, so you know the moment a player enters or commits. Fast. Unbiased. Accurate. The easiest route to "winning the transfer portal" runs through DSA Labs.