A proposal to eliminate the spring transfer window in football is moving through the NCAA legislative process.
The NCAA Football Oversight Committee, a group of school administrators who control football-related policy, recommended the proposal to the Division I Council this week, sources tell Yahoo Sports. If the council passes the bill, it would go into effect this cycle and eliminate the 15-day portal window in April. The DI Council meets via videoconference next month and in person in October. It’s unusual, but not unprecedented, for the council to reject an oversight committee recommendation.
The four major conferences and the American Football Coaches Association support the move, multiple sources familiar with the situation told Yahoo Sports. In February, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey openly expressed his support for a unified football portal window.
The change would be significant. Under the proposal, football players would only be able to enter the portal during a 30-day window that begins after the conclusion of the conference championship games, which this year runs from December 9 to January 7. Under the current transfer policy, players can also enter the portal from April 16 to April 30.
The proposal would eliminate the April window. If players enter the portal outside of the designated windows, they will not be eligible to immediately play at their next school unless they receive an NCAA waiver. The change would come on the heels of another change to the portal windows that limits the window from 45 to 30 days.
The reduction in playing days and the possible elimination of the spring window are attempts to stabilize rosters during a time of high player movement. Managing rosters has become significantly more difficult as the NCAA and its members have loosened transfer restrictions, many of these changes prompted by antitrust lawsuits.
In fact, the settlement of one of these cases, House v. NCAA, could have an impact on the proposal to eliminate the spring window.
Part of the agreement is a revenue-sharing model for the athletes with new roster limits – 105 in football – that require the elimination of walk-on players. Most power conferences have rosters of 120 or more players.
In preparation for the model’s implementation – on July 1, 2025 – these cuts are expected to occur next spring and summer. Eliminating the spring portal window may have a detrimental effect on players who are cut from teams, as they will no longer be able to transfer and play immediately.
At its meetings in the coming weeks, the DI Council is expected to examine the recommendation and the potential problems associated with the abolition of the spring window.
