NCAA officially adopts new transfer portal rules, including major adjustment for players after coaching change

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The NCAA Division I Administrative Committee approved on Tuesday two significant changes to the transfer portal, shrinking the amount of time granted to athletes to declare their intention to pursue a transfer. Finalizing the modification brought forth last month by the FBS Oversight Committee, the college football transfer portal will have just one window to enter the portal moving forward rather than one in the winter and another in the spring. 

That window in 2026 will run for two weeks from Jan. 2-16. Because the 12-team College Football Playoff schedule extends deep into January, players participating in a postseason game on or after Jan. 12 will have an opportunity to start the transfer process during a five-day period that begins the day after their final postseason game. 

The second alteration pertains to the transfer exceptions granted to players after coaching changes. The exception currently allows players to enter the transfer portal during a 30-day window that opens the day after their coach leaves or is fired. The committee approved a new format, however, that is shortened to 15 days and begins five days after a new coach is hired or announced, seemingly in an effort to crack down on midseason portal activity.

Both of these changes are expected to be finalized after the committee concludes its meeting on Wednesday.

Players whose coaches have already departed this season are grandfathered in and may still enter the transfer portal within the existing 30-day window. That includes players at UCLA, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State and Arkansas, which all fired their coaches within the last month.

NCAA approves change to new single transfer portal window: How will it work in college football?

Will Backus

What could these changes mean for college football?

The adjustment to the rules involving programs with coaching changes could result in fewer players leaving their teams after changes in leadership. It has not been uncommon in seasons past to see a mass exodus in the wake of coach firings or retirements. But with players required to stay put until after a replacement is selected, some could elect to play for the new coach instead of seeking a new school altogether.

The 15-day January window is open to all players and is longer than the initial Jan. 2-11 window the FBS Oversight Committee initially proposed. Transfers must enter their name into the portal during the window but are not required to enroll at a new school before the Jan. 16 entry deadline. This is a replacement for the previous December window and marks the end of the spring window, which drew heavy scrutiny from coaches due to its timing at the conclusion of most teams’ spring camps. More than 1,000 FBS players used the post-spring portal window this year, according to CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer.

Some coaches, including Ohio State’s Ryan Day, spoke out against the idea of a single window in January because of its concurrent timing with the College Football Playoff. The NCAA will attempt to offset the negative impacts on playoff teams by allowing players to initiate the transfer process during a five-day period that begins the day after their teams’ final postseason game.

For example, if Ohio State reaches the national championship game for the second straight year, the Buckeyes will play for the title on Jan. 19. Players may enter the transfer portal from Jan. 20-24 even though the winter window will have already expired.

This news was originally published on this post .

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