Why I Entered the Transfer Portal — and What Comes Next

On May 28, 2026, I entered the NCAA transfer portal. I’d be lying if I said it was an easy decision, because it wasn’t. It came after three years at LSU, after a junior season that pushed my mile down to 4:01.91, and after a lot of late-night conversations about who I want to be when the running is done. But the more I sat with it, the more I realized this isn’t a goodbye. It’s a next chapter.

Trenton Sandler after a race
After three years at LSU, I’m chasing my next chapter.

I want to be honest about what this moment is and what it isn’t. It isn’t me running away from anything. It’s me running toward something — the version of my career, and my mission, that I can see clearly now but couldn’t see when I committed at eighteen.

What LSU gave me
  • Three years of D1 racing
  • A 4:01.91 mile — No. 7 in LSU history
  • A path toward my degree in Business Analytics
  • Teammates and memories for life

Three Years I Wouldn’t Trade

When I came to LSU back in 2022, I was a kid from Leawood, Kansas who’d only started running at fifteen. I didn’t have a decade of training behind me. What I had was belief, a willingness to work, and a school that decided to bet on me anyway. LSU gave me coaches who taught me how to race, teammates who made the hard miles bearable, and a stage that forced me to grow up fast.

The numbers tell part of the story. That 4:01.91 mile from Boston ranks No. 7 in LSU history — and I don’t take that lightly. To put my name on a list at a program with the tradition LSU has is something I’ll carry with me forever. Off the track, I’ve been chasing a Business Analytics degree, and that combination of competing at the highest level while learning how to think about data and systems has shaped how I see everything, including the business I’m building.

I broke a Guinness World Record in the three-legged mile with my teammate Hugh Carlson at LSU. I raced the Bryan Clay Invitational, the deepest distance meet in the NCAA. None of that happens without the people and the place that raised me as a runner. So before anything else: thank you, LSU. I mean it.

Why I’m Exploring What’s Next

So why leave? The simplest answer is that I have two goals colliding, and I want to find the program that lets me chase both.

The first goal is the mile. I’m 1.91 seconds from breaking four minutes. If you’ve ever been that close to a number that has defined your sport for seventy years, you understand the pull. I’m looking for a place with the training environment, the coaching philosophy, and the racing opportunities to help me cross that line. Sub-4 isn’t a dream anymore — it’s a target.

The second goal is the thing I’ve been quietly building alongside the running: a career as a creator. I make videos about track and field because I believe this sport deserves a mainstream audience, and I’ve spent the last few years learning how to tell its story. I’m looking for a program and a community that understands an athlete can be both a serious competitor and a serious builder — that those two things feed each other instead of fighting.

I’m staying school-agnostic about the future on purpose. I don’t have my next program picked out yet, and I’m not going to rush a decision this big. What I know is what I’m looking for: a place to chase sub-4 and grow as a creator.

The Bigger Mission

Here’s what people sometimes miss when they hear “transfer portal.” This isn’t only about a faster mile. It’s about a mission that’s bigger than any one race or any one school.

I want to bring track and field culture to people who’ve never watched a 1500m in their lives. I want running and entertainment to live in the same sentence. The athletes I grew up admiring built things that outlasted their best seasons, and that’s what I’m trying to do — build something durable while I still have the legs to compete.

The portal is just the doorway. What comes next is the work. I’m grateful for where I’ve been, I’m clear-eyed about where I’m going, and I’m more motivated than I’ve ever been.

If you want to follow this next chapter as it unfolds, my blog is where I document the whole thing — the racing, the building, the wins and the lessons. And if you’re a coach, a program, or a brand who sees the vision, reach out. I’m ready for what’s next.

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Follow along with my journey as a D1 distance runner, content creator, and entrepreneur. New content every week across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and this blog.

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