A college football landscape that’s often described by its biggest detractors as lawless and chaotic just got a little bit more order.
The NCAA Division I Administrative Committee voted on Wednesday, Sept. 17 to eliminate the spring transfer portal window.
Though a single transfer portal window has yet to be officially determined, FBS and FCS oversight committees will consider modifications to the proposed January window, which would run from Jan. 2-11. Discussions will include the length of the window and exact dates, with a final decision expected in October.
The spring transfer window had become a point of contention for many coaches across the sport in recent years, with rosters undergoing significant changes at a relatively late stage in the college football calendar. This year, more than 1,000 FBS players transferred during the spring.
At the annual American Football Coaches Association convention in January, coaches unanimously advocated for there to be a single transfer window.
Under the existing FBS and FCS proposals, players could enter their names in the portal and be contacted by interested schools beginning Jan. 2, the day after the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Players whose teams remain in the playoff past that point would have five days beginning the day after their team’s final postseason game to enter the portal.
The Administrative Committee also voted to remove the exemption that allowed graduate transfers to enter the portal in the fall, meaning they, too, will have to wait until what’s expected to be the single portal window in January. Last year, graduate transfers were allowed to enter the portal as early as Oct. 1.
It marks the latest contraction of the transfer window for college football players. During the 2022-23 offseason, one year after the NCAA first allowed players to transfer once without the penalty of sitting out a season, the window was open for a combined 60 days. That shrunk to 45 days in 2023-24 and 30 in 2024-25.