When transfer portal prospects arrived in Tulsa for hurried, 24-hour visits a year ago, Tre Lamb\u2019s new staff ran the usual playbook.<\/p>\n
Show them downtown. Take them out for a fancy steak dinner. Tulsa treated it similarly to official visits for high schoolers, just shorter.<\/p>\n
But the feedback from players who did sign with Tulsa was clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were like, \u2018Yeah, that wasn\u2019t that important to me. I\u2019ve done all that,\u2019\u201d Lamb said.<\/p>\n
This year, Tulsa wanted something outside the box that gave portal prospects what they did want. It landed on what Lamb and his staff are calling the Portal House.<\/p>\n
When the transfer portal opens on Friday, Tulsa will be headquartered in a five-bedroom house near campus that spans around 5,000 square feet. Lamb, offensive coordinator Brad Robbins, defensive coordinator Josh Reardon and general manager Mason Behiel plan to sleep there every night, and position coaches will come and go. The rest of the house will be HQ for the Golden Hurricane during the portal window \u2014 with plenty to entertain prospects as they come in and out of the city over a whirlwind two weeks.<\/p>\n
\nThe Tulsa Football Portal House \ud83c\udfe0<\/p>\n
Film room. Recruiting ops. All-Access. All under one roof.<\/p>\n
Coming Jan. 2\u203c\ufe0f#TulsaPortalHouse<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/JBsy2fTEs9<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Tulsa Football (@TulsaFootball) December 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
It\u2019s a unique approach aimed at building relationships as deep as possible in visits that usually last only 24 hours and doing so in a low-stress environment that feels more like a hangout than a job interview.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can really see their true colors. And we\u2019re interviewing them as much as they\u2019re interviewing us,\u201d Lamb said. \u201cFor guys we\u2019re paying money to, we can\u2019t miss. We can\u2019t afford to miss on character. We wanted something different that gave us a chance to know them and them a chance to know us in a short 24-hour window.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tulsa found the house on Airbnb and booked it for the portal window. It has 11 beds, a seven-hole mini-golf course in the backyard, a heated pool, a yoga studio, a karaoke room and game room as well a fire pit and grill outside. (It\u2019s not the home used in Tulsa\u2019s graphic announcing the Portal House on Monday.)<\/p>\n
There will be pool tables, ping pong and Xboxes with EA Sports\u2019 College Football 26 ready for players to showcase their skills. The games could help reveal a player\u2019s competitive fire, but Lamb says a player\u2019s skill in the video game can reveal his football IQ, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an Xbox in our players\u2019 lounge in our facility and we keep tally of wins and losses throughout the year,\u201d Lamb said.<\/p>\n
There will be offensive and defensive film rooms in the house. When prospects visit, coaches can boot up Tulsa\u2019s film to show how prospects could be used in the Golden Hurricanes\u2019 systems.<\/p>\n
Donors who will visit the house can watch film of prospects whose contracts they\u2019re helping fund, too. Former players, including the Tulsa mayor, Monroe Nichols, will also visit. Current players aren\u2019t on campus, but the 30ish players on the roster who are still in town plan to drop by from time to time.<\/p>\n
This year, for the first time since players were given immediate eligibility after transfers, there is only one window in which prospects can enter the transfer portal. After Jan. 16, the portal closes. In previous years, there was a 30-day window in December and a second 15-day window in April.<\/p>\n
That has put added pressure on coaching staffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all know how important this is. This is a new deal for all of us. You can\u2019t fix it again in May if you mess it up,\u201d Lamb said. \u201cWe have to be great during these 14 days and be efficient with our time and resources. If you miss on a kid, you can\u2019t fix it. Our kids\u2019 and coaches\u2019 lives will be determined by these next 14 days. That\u2019s just the fact of life in today\u2019s college football.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tulsa will spend New Year\u2019s Day setting up the decorations and film rooms to prepare for two weeks of visits. They want to be ready to bring in as many visitors as possible this weekend.<\/p>\n
Prospects will usually arrive mid-morning. The player and whoever is with him \u2014 usually a parent, girlfriend or agent \u2014 will go with a coach to a nearby restaurant for lunch and an introductory conversation. For most players, it will be the first time they\u2019ve met the coach in person.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ll get to know each other before checking out campus for a quick tour and a look at H.A. Chapman Stadium. If a player wants to meet with professors, the staff can arrange that. They\u2019ll show him the coaches\u2019 offices and team facility, as well as the weight room and a quick meeting with the strength coach and nutritionist to lay out the plan for that player over the next year.<\/p>\n
Then they\u2019ll show some film and break down where they see him fitting before taking him over to the Portal House.<\/p>\n
At Tulsa, classes don\u2019t begin until Jan. 21. That means campus will be quiet. There won\u2019t be parties. Players can\u2019t get a true feel for campus life. The Portal House is Tulsa\u2019s attempt to combat that.<\/p>\n
\nTulsa portal house:<\/p>\n
1. Home base for 14 days straight. 45-50 visits in 14 days. Coaches need somewhere to host\/sleep. <\/p>\n
2. School is closed until Jan 21. An entertainment spot to host right by campus without having recruiting hosts. <\/p>\n
3. Still utilize campus and football\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/lLDHM3HZex<\/a><\/p>\n