The NCAA Administrative Committee has recently voted to approve a proposal that would completely eliminate the spring transfer portal for college football[1]. This change comes as the number of student-athletes entering the transfer portal has hit an all-time high, with the number of FBS scholarship transfers surpassing 3,200 in the 2024-25 season[2].
Prior to this vote, there were two opportunities for college football players to enter the transfer portal: one in December and one in April. Now, with this new proposal, there will only be one window in January where players can enter the portal, completely eliminating any transfer opportunities in the spring[3]. The proposal initially would have allowed for transferring during the period of January 2nd to January 11th, but after some feedback from current players, the Committee is still deciding on when the proposed window will open and for how long[4]. The final vote to enact the new proposal into NCAA legislation will happen in early October.
There has been strong support from many teams and coaching staff about the new logistics surrounding the portal. The December portal window brought significant challenges to teams, as December is an extremely busy month for college football, with high-profile player transfers, recruiting, coaching changes, post-season preparation, and wide-scale roster negotiations all happening within this month[5]. The new January window will help to alleviate some of this stress and well as alleviate the frustration surrounding the second transfer window that happens in April. Eliminating the spring transfer portal window allows for teams to gain more control of roster management and reduce unexpected post-spring departures that can be difficult to replace[6]. Additionally, the elimination of the spring window prevents players from dangling the threat of entering the portal as leverage while negotiating potential payments[7].
While the new changes do bring some positives, one major issue is how this will affect the players. The elimination of the spring transfer window restricts player movement, and the lack of the options to transfer in the spring may hurt those players who are unhappy with their placement on the depth chart come spring practices. One of the big reasons why this has not happened sooner was that the NCAA members were afraid of potential litigation surrounding limiting player agency and earning potentials[8]. With the final vote of this proposal coming in October, this is going to be just another big change that will impact college athletics in a year that has been full of big changes.
[1] Chris Hummer, NCAA approves single transfer portal window: How the new rule will impact college football, CBS Sports (September 17, 2025).
[2] Max Olsen, NCAA eliminates spring transfer portal window for football, ESPN (September 17, 2025).
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Hummer, supra note 1.
[6] Id.
[7] Olsen, supra note 2.
[8] Hummer, supra note 1.
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