I would surmise it’s a tad easier to get transfers to come to Dallas than Storrs. How many miles from home are the transfers now? Likely not far.
I didn't post this the other day because it's the Athletic and you have to have a subscription to read it... but this partly answers your question:
>>Dykes loved the potential of the SMU job in part because of its proximity to local high school talent, and the high school recruiting has gone well — his first full class last year was No. 3 in the AAC and No. 68 nationally, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings. Dykes, the son of longtime Texas Tech head coach Spike Dykes, knows the state like the back of his hand.
What Dykes didn’t expect was he’d be inundated with Power 5 transfers, most of them looking to come home to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.“I figured there would be three, four a year,” he said. This past offseason, SMU brought in 16 transfers, according to 247Sports’
transfer database. That’s at least four more than anyone else. The year before, the Mustangs’ six graduate transfer additions were the most in the country.
It has necessitated its own recruiting strategy. So many players have reached out to SMU that it has to be. Dykes said at one point during the last recruiting cycle, they had 38 potential transfers on their board. The transfer portal makes the process easier, and SMU staffers check it every day. During the daily recruiting film breakdown, the staff looks at high school players, then they look at potential transfer players. “I’m not going to lie, we hear from three or four a day,” Dykes said of people reaching out. “I’ve heard four today — legit guys. They’ve either entered the transfer portal or have reached out to the high school coach to reach out to us and are considering the portal.”<<
>>For Group of 5 programs like SMU, it’s become the best way to bring in Power 5 talent, whether it’s someone who is looking for more playing time or perhaps is homesick. “We weren’t getting Shane Buechele coming out of high school,” Dykes said. “We weren’t getting Reggie Roberson coming out of high school. When you can add guys who are difference-makers like that, you wouldn’t believe how many guys have reached out. It’s blown my mind. We’re just trying to make sure it’s the right guys.”
Of the eight FBS teams to bring in at least eight transfers last offseason, five were Group of 5 teams near major cities and fertile recruiting grounds (SMU, Houston, UCF, FAU, FIU). Those locations are where the most high school players come from, so it’s where most kids will look to return.
Buechele is from Arlington. Roberson is from DeSoto. Stephens is from Plano. All in the Metroplex. Of SMU’s 16 offseason transfer additions, 10 were from the DFW area. Most are kids who are looking to come home, where it’s easier for family and friends to watch.<<
