The longtime coach compares NCAA’s shift to NFL structure, calling it a step toward sanity
The transfer portal has changed college football more than any other rule in recent memory. Coaches are forced to re-recruit their own players year after year, while roster stability often feels impossible. But this offseason, the NCAA introduced a major adjustment: instead of two lengthy transfer windows, athletes now have a single 10-day period to make their move.
West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez is fully behind the change. On Wednesday, he made it clear he believes this is the right direction.
“I think it is a much better improvement,” Rodriguez said. “The two windows was too many, and then the length of the windows was too much. Most coaches would tell you it was crazy times.”
Rodriguez compared the new system to the NFL, which he called the model for competitive balance. “I’ve always said this… as many rules as we could kind of follow what the NFL does because they are the best professional organization there is. They got a bunch of rules, and that’s how they’re so competitive every year. We need to follow that.”
The move brings relief to coaches juggling recruiting, NIL battles, and roster management all at once. For Rodriguez, it means fewer distractions and more focus on building his team. For players, it creates clarity, commit during the window or lock in for the year.
College football may still feel like free agency at times, but Rodriguez sees this as a first step toward balance. And for fans, that means better football on Saturdays.
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