NCAA Implements Major Changes to Transfer Portal for College Athletes

Indianapolis – The NCAA Division I Administrative Committee approved two major changes to the transfer portal on Tuesday, significantly altering how college athletes can transfer to different schools. These changes are aimed at streamlining the process and reducing the chaos often associated with midseason transfers.

Starting in 2026, college football players will only have one window to enter the transfer portal instead of having separate periods in the winter and spring. This new window will be open for just two weeks, from January 2 to January 16. For players involved in postseason games starting on or after January 12, there will be an opportunity to begin the transfer process during a five-day period that begins the day after their final postseason game.

The second change affects the transfer exceptions currently granted when coaching changes occur. Previously, players could transfer within a 30-day window that started the day after a coach left. Now, when a new coach is announced, players will have just 15 days to enter the portal, starting from five days after the new coaching announcement. This decision seems to be an attempt to curb the trend of players leaving in droves due to midseason coaching changes.

Players whose coaches have already left this season, such as those at schools like UCLA, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, and Arkansas, will be grandfathered in and may still transfer under the old 30-day rule.

The NCAA hopes that shortening the window related to coaching changes will result in fewer players abandoning their current teams, encouraging them to try and stay for new leadership instead. The January transfer window is longer than what was initially proposed, providing a fair opportunity for all athletes wishing to transfer.

The complexities of coordinating transfers around critical playoff dates were noted, as many coaches had previously expressed concerns about how a single January window could collide with the College Football Playoff schedule. To mitigate any conflicts, players in the playoffs will still have the chance to enter the portal after their postseason games.

In recent years, the NCAA saw over 1,000 FBS players enter the portal during the previous spring window alone, leading to significant discussions among coaches about better regulations. The NCAA aims to strike a balance between player mobility and the competitive integrity of college sports with these latest changes.