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A pair of Oregon football players have opted to enter the transfer portal as the team pursues a national title. Each is a member of the Ducks’ defensive backfield.
Both players have made notable contributions this season, though neither is in the starting lineup. The news of their decisions comes less than 24 hours after a College Football Playoff win.
Oregon took down James Madison in the opening round of the postseason tournament, 51-34. They will face Texas Tech in Game 2.
The secondary will be a bit thinner when taking on the Red Raiders.
Oregon football players hit transfer portal.
Kingston Lopa and Sione Laulea will leave the team. They will not be available for the remainder of the Ducks‘ CFP run.
Lopa appeared in 13 games this year, including the most recent win over James Madison. He tallied 12 tackles and a sack as a redshirt freshman.
Against the Dukes, he recorded one tackle and broke up a pass.
Laulea, meanwhile, has been out of the lineup since October. He last played in a game against Rutgers, missing six games with injury.
He was dressed for the College Football Playoff opener but did not see the field. Across two seasons with the Ducks, Laulea totaled 10 tackles and an interception.
Their decisions to leave amid a playoff run ignited a debate on social media.
When should the transfer portal window open?
This year’s window will open on January 2nd and run through January 16th. The national championship game will be played on January 19th.
Oregon’s next football game will be played on New Year’s Day. The portal opens less than 24 hours later. If the Ducks win against Texas Tech, their season will continue into that transfer window.
For players looking to find a new home, that creates issues.
The NCAA introduced a new policy this year to accommodate that timing, but it remains an imperfect system.
(The transfer) window in 2026 will run for two weeks from Jan. 2-16. Because the 12-team College Football Playoff schedule extends deep into January, players participating in a postseason game on or after Jan. 12 will have an opportunity to start the transfer process during a five-day period that begins the day after their final postseason game.
Players on teams competing past the deadline can still enter the portal for a brief time. Unfortunately, it could come after roster spots begin to fill up for portal shoppers.
In Laulea and Lopa’s cases, they plan to focus on their futures as opposed to providing depth in the current playoff run. In doing so, they improve their chances of finding the best possible situations.
The timing of the football season and transfer window directly impacts that decision. Until an adjustment can be made, we’ll continue seeing these CFP opt outs despite national title implications.