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Written By: Becca Almgren, MS, RD
Written by an American Sports and Performance Dietitians Association Registered Dietitian (RD). To learn more about sports nutrition and ASPDA, go to www.sportsrd.org.
The NCAA transfer portal is now a defining feature of college athletics. In 2024 alone, over 15,000 Division I athletes entered the portal. That number isn’t slowing down, and neither should we. For performance professionals, this shift brings both a challenge and an opportunity to set the standard for how athletes transition successfully to new environments. Behind every transfer is more than learning a new playbook: there’s a unique medical history, nutrition background, and training history to understand. Sports medicine, nutrition, and strength and conditioning (S&C) staff each play a vital role in this process, and success depends on a proactive, collaborative approach. The task is to quickly assess, align, and accelerate these athletes into your team’s systems to turn new athletes into program contributors.
Here are 5 key strategies for integrating transfer athletes efficiently and effectively:
Impact can only be made when trust is first established. Transfer athletes often carry habits and expectations from previous programs, so take time to understand them first. Build trust early so they are more open to listening and engaging. Each department should spend one-on-one time with them to hear what has and hasn’t worked, then adapt your approach to meet them where they are at before suggesting changes. If possible, encourage veteran teammates to mentor newcomers in fueling and training culture. These athletes experience substantial change quickly, so aim to be their source of stability.
Once a new athlete joins the roster, the next step is to understand their starting point to identify their baseline. Develop an intake process shared across the performance team to gather this information. Dietitians assess nutrition knowledge, lab work and medical history, body weight history, typical eating habits, food accessibility, food allergies/preferences, and any specific nutrition goals. If possible, pair this with a body composition scan for more context. Strength staff evaluate the athlete’s readiness for training, and athletic trainers analyze injury history and medical context. Aim to complete this within the first two weeks of the athlete’s arrival to get the full picture. This helps ensure interventions are highly individualized and not rushed. Sharing this assessment across departments ensures every staff member understands where the athlete stands nutritionally, physically, and medically.
Once the baseline is established, the performance team needs to align on priorities. Consistency across the performance team prevents mixed messages and keeps the athletes from feeling pulled in different directions. Use shared language and shared metrics to guide athletes’ individualized goals. The focus of nutrition, training, and recovery goals should be based on athlete readiness rather than size or the number on the scale. Outline weekly priorities such as focusing on stabilizing fueling and hydration habits first, then progressing toward training and body composition goals. Progress should be tracked through a combination of fueling check-ins, performance markers, and feedback from the coaching staff. If progress is not being made, collaboration between sports medicine, S&C, and nutrition is key to identify and resolve contributing factors.
Consistency needs to be established early to drive athlete buy-in and long-term success. Focus on the controllable such as regular meal attendance, recovery fueling, hydration, and sleep. Performance interventions should be implemented early and focus on high-impact changes without overwhelming the athlete. Dietitians can orient athletes to dining halls or fueling stations and help build accessible routines that fit with their training and academic schedule. S&C and sports medicine staff can reinforce consistent fueling and recovery habits in both the weight room and training room. Keep messages simple: “never train on an empty tank,” “eat every 3-4 hours,” “protein and carbs post-lift,” “carbs are an athlete’s best friend.” The key theme here is consistency beats complexity, especially for these athletes adjusting to new systems.
Develop a system that will make this process efficient and repeatable for every new athlete who walks in your door. This could be building a shared onboarding checklist that includes nutrition assessment, body composition or weight history review, medical screening, fitness evaluation, and individualized plans. Consider creating a “Welcome to [Program] Guide” with program basics, key contacts, and simple weight room, athletic training room, and nutrition tips. This approach improves communication across the performance team and gives athletes a clear understanding of what to expect. A standardized process also saves time and ensures that every athlete receives the same high-quality support from day one.
Having four years to develop an athlete is becoming increasingly rare. Transfer turnover is not a temporary trend, it’s the new normal. Athlete success now depends on how quickly performance staff can communicate, collaborate, and integrate. When dietitians, strength coaches, and athletic trainers work together from day one, progress happens faster without sacrificing trust, health, or performance. In the transfer portal era, adaptability isn’t just for athletes. It’s for us too, and when we get it right, everyone wins.
References
NCAA Transfer Portal and Rules: The Ultimate Guide for 2025. 22 Dec. 2022, https://www.ncsasports.org/recruiting/ncaa-transfer-rules.
“Transfer Portal Data: Division I Student-Athlete Transfer Trends.” NCAA.Org, https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2022/4/25/transfer-portal-data-division-i-student-athlete-transfer-trends.aspx. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.