NCAA Considers Extending College Football Transfer Portal to 15 Days
Big news in college football: the NCAA’s Division I Administrative Committee will soon review a proposal that could extend the winter transfer portal window from 10 days to 15 days. This follows the NCAA’s recent move to get rid of the spring transfer portal window for football players.
The Division I Oversight Committee is pushing for the extension after hearing feedback from players. Their goal is to give athletes a transfer period that’s a bit more flexible and actually works for them.
If this goes through, the new window would run from January 2 to January 16. That’s a shift from the earlier January 2 to January 11 dates.
Both undergraduate and graduate transfers would see changes here. The old rules treated them differently, but this proposal would apply to everyone.
Background and Current Transfer Portal Rules
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The transfer portal has changed a lot since it started. Back in the 2022-23 offseason, the NCAA gave players a combined 60-day window for transfers—45 days in winter and 15 in spring.
By the 2023-24 offseason, they cut it to 45 total days, with 30 for winter and 15 for spring. The most recent change trimmed it down again, leaving just 30 days—20 in winter and 10 in spring.
The winter window used to kick off in December. Now, it’s moved to January, mostly because coaches pushed for it.
They wanted to cut down on constant roster changes and better match the transfer period with the academic calendar. Makes sense, right?
Impact on College Football Playoff Teams
The new 15-day window could really shake things up for College Football Playoff teams. With the portal opening on January 2, semifinalists and finalists will still be in the middle of their season, which could be a bit of a headache for everyone involved.
On the other hand, most schools start their spring semester in January, so this timing might actually work out for most athletes. For teams making it all the way to the national championship, players would still get five days to enter the portal after their season wraps up.
Coaches’ Perspectives on the Proposed Changes
Most coaches seem on board with moving the window to January, but not everyone is thrilled. SEC coaches mostly support the change.
Some Big Ten coaches, like Ohio State’s Ryan Day, have raised concerns about the timing. Georgia’s Kirby Smart pointed out the ongoing struggle to match football schedules with academic calendars—there’s just never a perfect answer, is there?
Additional Recommendations and Considerations
The Division I Oversight Committee also talked about possible tweaks to the head coach exception rule. Right now, players get a 30-day window to hit the portal if their head coach leaves.
Earlier this season, three Virginia Tech players entered the portal after Brent Pry was fired on September 14. The committee hasn’t made any formal recommendations yet, but it sounds like more changes to transfer rules might be coming.
Conclusion
The NCAA might stretch the winter transfer portal window from 10 to 15 days. This change could give college football players a bit more breathing room to make decisions.
The Division I Administrative Committee is set to look over this proposal in October. Coaches, players, and programs are all waiting to see what happens—honestly, it could shake things up for everyone involved.
Want to dive deeper? You can check out the full article on the New York Times website.