Behind the scenes during the transfer portal period
- Tom Weber
- Jan 26
- 6 min read
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Jack Halperin, Saluki Football’s director of player personnel and recruiting, didn’t get much sleep during the two weeks of the NCAA transfer portal earlier this month.
Halperin explains how head coach Nick Hill and the staff at SIU coordinated their portal strategy, describing a detailed process that identified 25 prospective players to bring to campus for official visits.
More than 10,500 college football players across all NCAA divisions entered the portal. While Saluki Football was active in the market, signing 13 players, the work it did to retain its current players was even more important, Halperin said.
The Salukis were able to retain the majority of their core players and will have 14 returnees with starting experience on the 2026 roster. That allowed the staff to use the portal to supplement areas of need, he said.
StrongDawgs interview with Jack Halperin, director of player personnel & recruiting for Saluki Football
SD: Before the portal opened, how much emphasis did Saluki Football place on retaining players from last year’s team?
JH: We definitely wanted to keep the team intact. If you believe in the culture of your team, the guys on your team are the ones that maintain the culture. Coaches can help build it, but the team is the one that maintains it, so you're trying to keep those elements. Also, you know what they can and can't do. They’re not having to adjust to a new environment, new surroundings. I think when you look at most transfers across the country, that second year is actually when they perform their best. Jeremiah McClendon's a great example. He did much better in his second year here.
SD: How did delaying the portal window to January affect the recruiting process?
JH: We had much more time between the end of the season and when the portal opened. It gave us a chance to talk with our guys and figure out if they wanted to stay. We had a good handle on our own roster before the portal opened.
