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The transfer portal has been one of the more controversial aspects of college football since it was launched by the NCAA in 2018, and prior to the advent of the NIL Era, there weren’t many issues that managed to draw more complaints from coaches and fans alike. Now, the governing body that brought it into existence has opted to narrow the window players can use to change schools in the hopes of assuaging some of those critics.
The transfer portal was designed to streamline the process of making the leap to another program while making it easier for the public (and the media) to keep track of those moves, and it’s hard to argue it hasn’t checked both of those boxes.
With that said, it’s also caused plenty of headaches—especially in the wake of a rule that was instituted in 2021 that gave players the option to transfer for the first time without having to sit out a season before they became eligible to play for their new squad (which, thanks to the advent of NIL, has led to complaints concerning programs who’ve allegedly engaged in tampering to lure top talent away from other schools).
The transfer portal has also made life a bit harder for coaches who need to take it into consideration while balancing recruiting, staffing decisions, and other factors in the preparation for a new campaign, as players have had a 45-day window to work with after their season wraps up (on top of an additional 15-day period in April).
On Monday, the NCAA announced college football players will now have slightly less time to work with, as members of the Division I Council voted to approve a measure that will reduce the initial transfer portal window down to 30 days (this year, that would mean players will have to make a decision about their future by February 9th as opposed to the end of the month).
The DI Council approved changes to transfer windows in all sports to 45 days, including:
🏀Men’s & women’s basketball: 45 days
🏈Football: 45 days (30 days after season, 15 days in spring)Council actions are not final until meeting concludes today.
— NCAA News (@NCAA_PR) October 4, 2023
This is a pretty welcome change when you consider the vast majority of players who decide to transfer know they’re going to pull the trigger by the time the national championship game rolls around, and while it certainly won’t address many of the concerns stemming from the portal, it’s still a step in the right direction.