Last year was the debut of the NCAA's new transfer portal, a system to provide student athletes an easier path to transferring. In not even a year, it's impact has already changed how many programs will approach recruiting. Kyle Whittingham's Utah football has seen both the good and bad of the transfer portal. The program lost it's headline recruit of the 2018 class in quarterback, Jack Tuttle, only to add the transfer of another high profile 2018 quarterback recruit in Cameron Rising just a few months later.

That sequence of events will be read as a matter-of-factly now, but when taking into account the chances of those events happening before the transfer portal came to be were about as slim as the Phoenix Suns' NBA title hopes, it adds some significant depth to it. Needless to say, the transfer portal has changed the game in recruiting.

We all know why the transfer portal and changes to the process were made, and overall, it's a good change for the student athlete. However, there are repercussions for both program and athlete, and both should or have changed their approach with the feature.

Impact on the student athlete

Before we get into what Utah has done to adjust to the transfer portal, let's shine a light on the student athletes. There is a massive number that have added their name to transfer portal, as most saw it as their ticket to find a better opportunity elsewhere. Coach Whittingham's comments at Pac-12 Media Day were rather insightful:

The portal has changed the game, not dramatically because there still was movement before that, but certainly that movement has been enhanced.

But I think that it may slow down again because I know there's a lot of guys in the portal that got no place to go right now. The portal is still stocked with guys that don't have any place to go, and they can't go back to the original institution because most coaches take the same stance that we do: If you go to the portal, then you're done here. There's no coming back. It's not shop yourself around, if I get a better deal, take it; if not, I'll come back.

And so I think in the future, players will see what happened to some of the guys, maybe be a little bit more judicious about making that decision to enter the portal. My own feeling. I don't have anything to support that other than gut feeling.

While many athletes have landed opportunities at other programs, there are many, many more that have not. Here's a look at who is listed as "Uncommitted" in 247Sports Transfer Portal, many players have not landed opportunities at other D1 programs and remain on the market or have resorted to lower levels of college football, even junior college. The limit of 25 initials per academic year is a big reason for the lack of opportunities for these transfers, and until that is addressed, it's best that these athletes are a bit more cautious and mindful of seeking opportunities through the transfer portal.

Impact on the football program

As for how Coach Whittingham and staff have adjusted their approach to the transfer portal and recruiting in general, it's quite a bit less gloomy:

Absolutely it changes our thinking there, and in years past we've tried to fill up every year -- every signing date by the second signing date, which now there's two signing dates, butNow we try to hold two or three or four scholarships back for the transfer portal guys because it's changed the game. I mean, it's just been a situation where recruiting -- they're recruiting now up until fall camp, essentially, or until your initials run out, whichever happens first.

After the loss of Jack Tuttle, the entire staff, personnel and coaching, has really utilized the transfer portal and turned it into a big positive for the program. Adding former Penn State linebacker Manny Bowen, and the already mentioned, Cameron Rising were both huge wins.

However, the additions of Nephi Sewell, Alex Locklear, Andrew Strauch, Noah Osur-Myers, and Hunter Thedford all provide big value to the program this year as well. This goes without mentioning that former UCLA linebacker Mique Juarez has also given Utah his commitment once he graduates and goes through his due process. So in total, that is eight additions to the program, five of which came after February's National Letter of Intent Day. Really, it's turned recruiting into a year-round event and in reality, most recruiting classes won't be finalized until the beginning of the school's fall semester.

Utah's entire staff has done a great job of navigating this new landscape. They've taken their fair share of losses, but they've added some significant pieces that are expected to provide immediate value on the field this season. As things continue to evolve with transfers and recruiting in general, the staff will continue to evolve with it. It's going to be fascinating to see what, if any more adjustments will be made to the transfer portal or possible changes to how programs can better manage their roster construction.