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8 Intriguing Transfer Portal Players for NCAA D1 Men’s Soccer Teams

Scott Martin

How easy is it to use The Win Factory to evaluate NCAA Division 1 transfer portal players?


Simply click on impact scores and search for that specific player.


That's it.


To give more context, you can even filter by position to see how their score rates across the whole of the NCAA D1. You can even set a minutes limit to focus on the players who consistently saw the pitch. There's a tremendous value here in assessing NCAA transfer portal players, as well as evaluating strengths and weaknesses within our own teams. With a few quick clicks, you’ve found the top players at the position and see a rating for your transfer portal player.


Data analytics protects your greatest resource, time.

We wanted to go further though, moving beyond a single-player search. To give more context to the impact scores, we looked at the data from every player who logged minutes in the fall of 2024.


Here are the eight players that stood out In the data.


Sam Joseph, UCLA, Goalkeeper, Junior


Sam Joseph Profile

The 6’4” goalkeeper arrived at UCLA from New York Red Bulls II. As a junior, the big goalkeeper made six starts, starting off the season well with shutouts against LMU, Portland, Denver, and Northwestern before dips in form against Wisconsin and Michigan saw him lose the starting role.


Joseph is good on the ball with a preference to play short and intermediate range passes. He's a good fit for a team that prioritizes building out of the back and needs a reliable goalkeeper to sit at the base of the build-out.


His shot-stopping rated in the 79th percentile last season while xG saves registered in the 60th. Those two games in Big Ten play certainly hurt him statistically, but there's still a lot to like in this goalkeeper.


Gavin Carmichael, Drexel, Centerback, Freshman


Ryan Quintos Profile

The freshman had a fantastic year at the heart of the Drexel defense. Picking up 1,456 minutes, the former Pipeline ECNL player was excellent on the ball in his first season.


While he certainly didn't carry the in-possession load along the backline, he was a valuable member who helped the team retain possession. Now that he has a year of experience under his belt, look for Carmichael to not only make a step up the ranks for the 2025 season, but also look for him too play a larger role in attack.


Defensively, his read of the game is one of his strengths, but there is still room for growth in handling the physicality of the college game and improving his defensive technique. Still, given he played this well as a true freshman, Carmichael has a bright future ahead of him.


Ryan Quintos, Wisconsin, Right Centerback, Sophomore


Ryan Quintos Profile

Another strong performer along the backline was Wisconsin's Quintos. The sophomore centerback was very heavily involved in possession and played a high percentage of his team's passes relative to his position.


His accuracy can use some improvement, but this is a player who thrives playing over the press, reading in the 85th percentile at the position in successful long passes. He's a player who wins his defensive duels and is one of the best in counterpressing recoveries.


To make a move from Wisconsin, you have to assume Quintos's next destination is one of the NCAA D1 powerhouses. He's one of the top prizes on the transfer portal.


Tate Johnson, UNC, Left-back, Freshman


Tate Johnson Profile

Sticking with the underclassmen, we have Tate Johnson from UNC. The freshman left-back was one of the mainstays on the pitch this season. An instant impact player for one of the top programs in the nation, Johnson's next move is an intriguing one.


He's someone who rates very highly in progressive pass frequency while also retaining possession better than most at the position. He's very heavily involved in the attack and a strong defender as well.


Johnson has all-conference and All-American potential. He's one of the top names on the portal and is a player to watch for an early exit to the professional ranks.


Jeremy Sharp, Michigan St., Right-back, Junior


Jeremy Sharp Profile

Sharp is the perfect signing for a team that enjoys a lot of the ball and demands attacking production from their outside-backs. He's the kind of right-back who loves getting high up the pitch and helping his team attack in the final third.


That's evidenced by his 100th percentile in shot assists. Sharp loves playing forward and is one of top attacking right-backs in the country.


His defensive numbers may lag behind his attacking output, but there's so much upside to his in-possession play that some possession-dominant team is going to pick up a perfect tactical fit in this transfer portal window.


Niv Berkovitz, SMU, Center Midfield and Wide Forward, Sophomore


Niv Berkovitz Profile

Moving higher up the pitch, one of the more tantalizing prospects is Berkovitz from SMU. While his overall impact score of 44 may seem low, when segmenting his positional group and running a percentile rank on just those players, Berkowitz fell into the 66th percentile at the position while playing in the most difficult conference in the nation.


With 743 minutes under his belt, he's the field player on this list with the least playing time in 2024. There are certainly some areas in his game that need improving, especially his shot quality and final third play in a more general sense, but the sophomore attacker has plenty of upside.


This is the perfect case of data identifying a player that is then thoroughly vetted with video scouting and referrals. Playing for one of the best teams in the country and in the ACC makes the 66 percentile rating a strong one. It's on limited playing time, so there is a need for further research, but Berkovitz is a player that other top schools need to look at, especially from the lens of a tactical fit.


Austin Brummett, San Diego St., Center Forward, Junior


Austin Brummett Profile

It's difficult to find goal scorers and few pop up in the transfer portal. Brummett, a former US youth national team camp attendee and player for the New York Red Bulls II, is one of those rare players.


After scoring seven goals in his sophomore year, it's safe to say that expectations were high for his junior year. While he did have one more goal contribution in 2024 than in the previous campaign, his goal tally did drop to five. It's a bit of a concern, but what Brummett offers is a lot of experience at the #9 as a 3-year starter at San Diego State.


While his shot quality could use improvement and he's not the best pressing forward, he's a big strong player who can hold a play and give a team a poacher in the box. He's an intriguing prospect for the right tactical fit. That breakthrough season may very well come in 2025.


Nico Nee, Princeton, Center Forward and Center Attacking Midfield, Senior


Nico Nee Profile

Finally, we have one of the winners of the Ivy League All-Tournament honors. Nee is grouped here with the #9s, but he's a very adaptable player who can also play in midfield.


According to Wyscout, Nee played 809 minutes last season, so the second-fewest among field players. That said, when he stepped onto the field, he was highly productive. He finished with five goals and one assist this year. That productivity that we mentioned led to the highest impact score among the players in this article and gave him a positional rating in the 96th percentile.


He is a senior with one more year of eligibility. As he goes into his graduate year, the team that does sign him will get a mature player with experience in big moments.


Identify Top Players Quicker


The Win Factory’s proprietary algorithm will help you identify the impact a player had during the previous season. It's the easiest way to assess whether a player is worth additional effort in the scouting process.


And that's because data is just the starting point. It's a means of identifying players and getting a gauge on how impactful they were within their previous team. Data can help you find the right players for your specific positional and tactical needs, leading to the second part of the process, which is video scouting.


Data analysis streamlines this project so you can make an instant decision on a player who just popped up in the portal. A platform like The Win Factory gives you that head start, allowing you to initiate conversations with your prospective player while others are trying to figure out if he had any meaningful contribution last season.


Your time is protected, your work is more efficient, and the identification of the right player for your system is secured.


This is data analytics for NCAA college coaches.


Want an easy-to-use data platform for player identification and opposition analysis? Contact The Win Factory today for a demo.

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