The NCAA has officially moved college football’s transfer portal period into a single offseason window starting next year.
The Division I Administrative Committee voted Tuesday to move the transfer period to Jan. 2–16 for all FBS and FCS players. That change means players, including graduates, must now wait until after the postseason to enter their names in the portal and contact other schools.
The 15-day window opens one day after the College Football Playoff quarterfinals conclude, which has drawn criticism from coaches around the country. The players from the two teams competing in the national championship on Jan. 19 will receive an additional five-day period, from Jan. 20–24, to transfer after their season ends.
The committee also approved a reform regarding transfers following head coaching changes. Effective immediately, players will have a 15-day window beginning five days after a new head coach is announced. Athletes previously had a 30-day period, which often led to mass departures before a replacement was hired.
Since Arkansas, Oklahoma State, UCLA and Virginia Tech all had early coaching changes in 2025, the players from those programs remain eligible to transfer under the old rule.
The spring transfer window was eliminated, leaving one offseason opportunity to transfer and structure a roster into the season. During the 2024-25 school year, nearly 5,000 player entered the transfer portal.
However, some legal experts have already questioned the reform, suggesting it could face antitrust challenges due to the window being restrictive. Nonetheless, this will be the way the NCAA moves forward and leaves no real controversy.
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