Logan Gregorio and Bryce Welch attend different colleges and play different sports, but their journeys are emblematic of how much has changed in recruiting.
Gregorio, who graduated from Waubonsie Valley in 2022, and Welch, who graduated from Naperville North in 2024, had aspirations to play at the Division I level in baseball and basketball, respectively.
It took Gregorio, a power-hitting catcher, three years to realize that dream. Welch, a star point guard, is still striving. Their stories are becoming more commonplace.
“College athletics changed so fast in the last handful of years,” Naperville North boys basketball coach Gene Nolan said. “It seems the model of college athletics, especially at the highest level, is to get old and stay old.
“With the transfer portal, they’re now able to do that. I certainly think it’s affected high school recruiting.”
It definitely affected Gregorio and Welch.
Gregorio didn’t get any Division I offers when he was in high school and played his first two seasons at Division III Benedictine. He then transferred to Northern Illinois, where he put together a fantastic junior season. He has transferred to Auburn for his senior year.
Welch’s only Division I offer came from Navy. He passed on that opportunity because the military commitment felt like too much of a change for him.
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Instead, Welch attended Iowa Western, a junior college where he got only 34 minutes of action as a freshman. He has transferred to another junior college, Lincoln Land, after which he hopes to move to a four-year college.
“Of course it’s frustrating not to play, but I took a lot away from the experience,” Welch said. “Our team was really good, and our coach ended up getting a better job.”
That’s the rub for both players and coaches. They are all looking for a better situation, and the portal makes that possible for players.
“You don’t see a lot of people staying at the same school,” Welch said. “Everyone is trying to win now, and everyone is trying to get their money now as players and coaches.
“There’s a lot more urgency to win, so coaches are not going to waste time making a high school kid better for three years when they can just go take a 21-year-old kid who’s already played.”
Indeed, basketball teams from power conferences like the Big Ten and SEC fill their rosters with transfers.
“It’s definitely hard to get looks out of high school,” Welch said. “I would ask coaches, and the feedback a lot of the time would be, ‘We’re not even looking at high schoolers.’”
Welch said that makes smaller colleges more attractive for high school players.
“We’re going to start seeing a lot more legit players going to jucos or lower-level schools,” Welch said. “With the portal and the money and extra year of playing, a lot of good players are being bumped down.”
That’s what happened to Gregorio, who found the competition at Benedictine beneficial. Smaller colleges, he said, provide valuable opportunities.
“I think you should go somewhere where you have a serious opportunity to play,” Gregorio said. “A lot of kids want to go Division I out of high school because, let’s be honest, it looks cool.
“But I’ve experienced baseball at the Division I and Division III levels. I really believe there is a smaller gap than most people realize. There’s obviously some kids that are extremely talented and have more developed tools at the Division I level, but I think it’s a compete factor.”
Gregorio is proof that the cream can rise to the top.
“People don’t give enough credit to guys that succeed at the Division III level and the juco level,” he said.
Welch concurred.
“He’s 100% right with the fact that there are DI-level players at every level,” Welch said. “Everyone’s path is different, but there’s definitely great players at every single level.”
That’s true in other sports that also have been affected by the recent changes. Neuqua Valley softball coach Danielle Asquini has noticed that college coaches have stopped recruiting during high school season, opting to attend travel tournaments instead.
“It’s really hard,” Asquini said. “There is quite a few girls that decide it’s just not worth it for them to play in college. I think that’s why you’ve seen a lot of kids do the club route.”
Asquini, who played for the club team at Eastern Illinois, said former Neuqua Valley stars Izzy Ernest, Maia Clifford and Carina Martinez have played club softball in college.
“It’s still very competitive,” Asquini said. “You still travel and meet so many people. We practiced three days a week and traveled every weekend, so it was still a commitment. But it wasn’t like you were on a DI team where you’re on dietary restrictions, you’re fitness training every day, you have curfew, you don’t really socialize, your schedule is really strict.”
Welch said a strict work ethic must be a priority for high school athletes hoping to play in college.
“When it comes to recruiting, don’t focus so much on the level,” he said. “You have to just go where you’re wanted because now more than ever, where you start is not always where you finish.”
Nolan predicts Welch will finish at a high level.
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“Three things are most important for a college prospect,” Nolan said. “He has all three: He’s a great kid, he’s an exceptional basketball player and he’s a terrific student.
“That really separates him from a lot of players. Bryce is a terrific prospect that no matter where he ends up, whichever school he’s going to be at is going to be very fortunate and lucky to have him.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.