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Luke Whitlock Of Florida, Brayden Taivassalo of Texas Highlight Transfer Portal Additions

Luke Whitlock of Florida has entered the transfer portal after spending the fall at Florida. Whitlock moved back home to Fishers, Indiana for the spring. Whitlock originally committed to Louisville before flipping his commitment to Florida before the start of his senior year of high school. He made the US Olympic Team last summer.

Whitlock joins the list of names in the transfer portal as the men’s window opened up two days ago. So far, 164 men have entered the portal from 55 different schools. Auburn still leads the way with 14 men in the portal while Texas is the only other school to have double digits.

The SEC has almost double the amount of any other conference with 59 men in the portal. The Big Ten has 28 men in the portal, the Big 12 has 24, and the ACC has 21.

After eight men from Texas entered the portal on Wednesday including Michael Cotter and Aaron Shackell, two more have joined. Spencer Aurnou-Rhees and Brayden Taivassalo have entered their names into the portal as well. Aurnou-Rhees just finished his junior season and made the conference roster in his freshman season.

The sophomore Taivassalo finished 7th in the 200 breast at SECs last month in a 1:53.95 and was 12th in the 100 breast as well. Taivassalo was one of the scratches Texas made from NCAAs as he earned an invite in the 200 breast but due to roster limits, Texas dropped two swimmers to make room for four divers.

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Jennifer Carson
11 days ago

I wonder why there isn’t more outrage about the number of international swimmers being picked up, particularly at U.S. taxpayer funded schools. Also, why isn’t there an age limit for these swimmers? It seems like they are often a few years older than American college students, which is a huge advantage.

612
Reply to  Jennifer Carson
11 days ago

Has been around for decades

Jennifer Carson
Reply to  612
11 days ago

True, but there is a greater impact now.

NoFastTwitch
Reply to  Jennifer Carson
11 days ago

Those US taxpayer-funded schools are usually paying a lot more to football and basketball coaches they fired well before the ends of their contracts than they might be to offset costs of international athletes in all other sports combined.

Ranger Coach
13 days ago

Is there a way to see a list of everyone who is in the portal?

samulih
Reply to  Ranger Coach
12 days ago

No.

This Guy
13 days ago

I assume Whitlock will go to IU.
Any chance he goes back to his original commitment at Louisville?

Scott Talbot
13 days ago

Brayden, come to Vancouver. We have everyone

Professor Goon
13 days ago

I heard through the grapevine Whitlock has been sick for some time, ever since Westmont. Hoping his training isn’t taking too much of a hit and that he’ll be ready to kick butt at nationals in June!

swimmerswammer
Reply to  Professor Goon
13 days ago

deleted

Last edited 13 days ago by swimmerswammer
TCUgooner
Reply to  Professor Goon
12 days ago

weirdo

Captain Bubbles
14 days ago

I can’t imagine making NCAAs and getting cut… I hope Brayden finds a place where he can be an All American.

NC State always needs breaststrokers. And Indiana can never have enough it seems.

Andrew
Reply to  Captain Bubbles
13 days ago

GO PACK

we will take him

Hillbilly
Reply to  Captain Bubbles
12 days ago

I don’t know the specifics of his case, but not everyone in the portal was cut from their team. It could be he just wants something different now that Eddie has retired.

OutsideSmoke
Reply to  Hillbilly
12 days ago

Eddie’s winning/people culture versus no culture. Yep, it might be time for a change up.

Bobthebuilderrocks
Reply to  OutsideSmoke
12 days ago

Honestly Bob gets credit for coming in and knowing that he’ll forever be stacked up against Eddie. I can’t think of one person who could have come in after Eddie and actually measured up to him in all aspects

SwimmerSwammer
Reply to  Bobthebuilderrocks
11 days ago

Bob might have similar success, but he’s nowhere near the person that Eddie Reese is.

Bobthebuilderrocks
Reply to  SwimmerSwammer
10 days ago

But who is?

Austinpoolboy
Reply to  Captain Bubbles
11 days ago

Hw would be top 200 br guy at SMu

NotBiscuitBlasius
14 days ago

Boy oh boy where do I even begin. Luke Whitlock… honey, my pookie bear. I have loved you ever since I first laid eyes on you. The way you drive into the paint and strike fear into your enemies eyes. Your silky smooth stroke in the pool, and that gorgeous flip turn. I would do anything for you. I wish it were possible to freeze time so l would never have to watch you stop swimming. You had a rough year, but you never gave up hope. You are even amazing off the pool, you’re a great husband and father, sometimes I even call you dad. I forever dread and weep, thinking of the day you will one day retire.… Read more »

Tani
Reply to  NotBiscuitBlasius
14 days ago

OMG!! I’m turning 7 shades of red reading this. I think you should send him this privately, between you and him.

Last edited 14 days ago by Tani
Spieker Pool Lap Swimmer
Reply to  NotBiscuitBlasius
14 days ago

TMI

ShoeBaca
Reply to  NotBiscuitBlasius
14 days ago

WTF

Viking Steve
Reply to  NotBiscuitBlasius
14 days ago

CHAT-GP-Cringe

Buttafly
Reply to  NotBiscuitBlasius
14 days ago

I felt a creeping sense of dread when I was reading this for some reason

swimster
Reply to  NotBiscuitBlasius
14 days ago

Kyle?

Greg Meehan’s Uvula
Reply to  swimster
14 days ago

Isaac fleig?

Zeph
Reply to  NotBiscuitBlasius
14 days ago

gotta be KP 🤨
Even the name fr

1650 Onetrick
Reply to  NotBiscuitBlasius
14 days ago

Guys it’s a copypasta. How are you people thinking someone actually wrote this

You can tell by the weirdly specific but unrelated words. Putting this comment into google shows it’s from a year-old copypasta about Lebron

swimster
Reply to  1650 Onetrick
14 days ago

so Kyle is clever?

Sillinger
Reply to  NotBiscuitBlasius
14 days ago

Now that was glorious. Ain’t “love” grand?

Khase Calisz
Reply to  NotBiscuitBlasius
14 days ago

Ok Kara

Ex-NC Lurker
Reply to  NotBiscuitBlasius
11 days ago

This is so unhinged and so perfection

Dylan
14 days ago

Maybe luke whitlock is going to have a hybrid schedule…

Gator Swammer
Reply to  Dylan
14 days ago

Whitlock’s GF is committed to IU so he may be OK spending a little more time on campus.

I would bet that Shackell will become a party of three very soon. Is there an HOV land between Carmel and Bloomington?

Captain Bubbles
Reply to  Gator Swammer
14 days ago

If someone started and left two other Power 4 teams after a semester, they’d better have a convincing story to tell before I offered them a limited roster spot.
Then again, maybe the story is “Alex is a package deal. Take all the Shackells or none.” Hardball seems to be the game of the moment.

swimster
Reply to  Captain Bubbles
14 days ago

£hackell deal.

Snarky
Reply to  Captain Bubbles
13 days ago

Does the deal include helicopters?

swimster
Reply to  Snarky
12 days ago

Rollers

Cousin Eddie
Reply to  Dylan
14 days ago

Then entire state of IN will become IU swim practice eligible! Haha. Bring back modeling, Ponsler, give killer and Pash some more years to swim. Lily King comes back. It will be glorious

Last edited 14 days ago by Cousin Eddie

About Anya Pelshaw

Anya Pelshaw

Anya has been with SwimSwam since June 2021 as both a writer and social media coordinator. She was in attendance at the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Women's NCAA Championships writing and doing social media for SwimSwam. She also attended 2023 US Summer Nationals as well as the 2024 European Championships …

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