The NCAA Division I Council has approved a shorter transfer window for college athletes across all sports. The new rule will give players 45 total days throughout the year to enter their names into the transfer portal.
How Many Days Will Players Have To Transfer?
Each sport will have 45 total days, but it will be divided differently by sport. For example, before this rule change, the window for football would open the day after the College Football Playoff teams are announced, which was Dec. 4 in 2022, and would stay open for 45 days.
The next period would open April 15 to April 30, which will remain the same with the new changes. Under the new rule, there will be a 30-day window after the season and 15 days in the spring.
If you follow college sports you’d have to know this was coming. With the volume of transfers that have taken place, with certain coaches complaining about it, it was the next logical step to regain some sort of control over players.
NCAA Was Always Headed This Way
“Yeah I’d take it down to, if it was up to me, I’d take it down lower than that, but I think it’s headed in the right direction. I think kids know if they want to transfer during the season, let alone having to have a month to decide. I think you’re asking for some problems, especially if they go home and they’re away from us on campus. But I do think we’re headed in the right direction,” Arkansas head football coach Sam Pittman said on the SEC coaches teleconference on Wednesday.
For men’s and women’s basketball, a 45-day window opens the Monday after Selection Sunday.
According to reports, the Council had proposed changes to the portal in January that would have seen a reduction from 60 total days to 30, but voted Tuesday to instead shrink the window to 45 days. This does not impact when a student-athlete can transfer, only when they can enter their name into the NCAA database to transfer without penalty.
The Council also introduced proposals to enhance student-athlete protections regarding their name, image and likeness rights.
“After watching the NIL landscape develop, NCAA members have identified additional resources for student-athletes so they can make informed decisions about their NIL activities,” said Lynda Tealer, chair of the DI Council, chair of the working group and deputy athletics director at Florida. “Division I members support college athletes benefiting from the use of their name, image and likeness to the fullest extent, and in no way intend to limit their potential. It is our hope that these changes will improve outcomes for student-athletes and help campus leaders navigate this issue with greater clarity.”
The proposals are centered on registration, disclosure and transparency, and standardized NIL contracts. Stay tuned.
