LSU WR Shelton Sampson Jr. plans to enter the transfer portal

Shelton Sampson Jr. became the latest LSU player to share with On3 his intentions to enter the transfer portal.

The hometown wide receiver out of Catholic (Baton Rouge) shared the news Thursday with Hayes Fawcett.

Sampson signed with the Tigers as a four-star prospect in 2023 and played a combined 11 games the past two seasons, including one start, but did not record a reception.

The 6-foot-4, 195-pound pass-catcher showed flashes during fall camp and garnered praise from coach Brian Kelly and teammates, but never cracked his way into a more consistent role.

He will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Sampson becomes the sixth member of the team to share plans to enter the portal, joining fellow wide receivers C.J. Daniels and Landon Ibieta, quarterback Rickie Collins, defensive end Da’Shawn Womack and defensive back Jordan Allen.

Daniels was the most productive member of that group this fall with 42 catches for 480 yards, totals that were both fourth on the team.

But Sampson continued to possess intriguing potential for the future, particularly on a roster already two to its leading receivers and tallest targets in senior Kyren Lacy and Daniels, both listed at 6-foot-2.

When is the Transfer Portal open?

The college football transfer portal is scheduled for 30 days during the 2024-25 academic year. The NCAA Division I Council voted to move from 45 to 30 days in early October.

The portal will open at the end of the regular season, the day after the College Football Playoff field and bowl games are announced. According to the NCAA, the portal will open for business Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, and close on Dec. 28.

The spring window in April remains. The portal will only be 10 days, lasting from April 16, 2025, and shutting down on April 25, 2025. The transfer portal will open for 30 days whenever a head coach leaves their program, allowing athletes to leave and decide on their future, according to NCAA guidelines.

With the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, the postseason will be longer. Athletes on teams that compete in the College Football Playoff and later bowl game will be allowed to enter an additional five-day transfer portal window in January after the portal closes.

More than 2,800 FBS scholarship players entered their names into the NCAA’s transfer database during the 2023-24 school year. Removing those who withdrew or went pro, the final total sat at 2,707 transfers. That means roughly 25% of all FBS scholarship players hit free agency in one year.

In data gathered over the first two years with transfer windows, the NCAA found most athletes enter the portal within the first four weeks of the portal opening. The study showed that 73% of men’s and women’s basketball undergraduate athletes entered during the first four weeks. That increased to 82% for men and 86% for women in 2024.

Which players can enter the Transfer Portal?

The NCAA pivoted on its transfer portal policy in December when it agreed to terms on a preliminary injunction in the Northern District of West Virginia District Court.

The D-I Council adopted emergency legislation for a new transfer rule this spring. All undergraduate athletes can now transfer and play immediately as long as they meet specific academic requirements. Previously, if an underclassman wished to transfer a second time, the athlete needed the NCAA to grant a waiver to compete immediately. Absent an approved waiver, the athlete had to sit out a year. 

There is no limit on the number of times an athlete can enter the transfer portal. The NCAA sent out memos to institutions twice during 2023-24 stating that multi-time transfers could play immediately in 2024-25 without securing a waiver. Athletes cannot transfer mid-year and play for a new school in the same athletic season.

Changes have been made to grad transfer requirements, too. Athletes can enter the portal at any time during the academic year but must enter before the close of their respective sports’ final transfer windows.