BREAKING NCAA votes to have a single transfer portal period

[BamaNation]

" The proposed lone transfer window would be a 10-day period that opens Jan. 2, 2026, one day after the College Football Playoff quarterfinals are completed. The Division I Administrative Committee must approve the legislative changes before it can take effect. The vote is expected to occur before Oct. 1. "

NCAA votes for single transfer portal window

The NCAA FBS Oversight Committee voted Thursday to move to a January transfer window and eliminate the spring transfer window.

www.espn.com

Could this be the beginning of the beginning of a return to sanity? I hope so. However, that means the portal closes on Jan 11. The national championship is Jan 19 (the article says 1/20 but it's wrong)

Methinks they need to take another peek at the calendar because that makes no sense unless they're assuming guys will announce I"m transferring but play in the NC. If I'm the coach, nobody who announces they're transferring would be playing in any game after that. Get gone.

 

[KrAzY3]

I am glad they are moving to one window, but I would also agree it seems like a fairly big issue to still overlap while they are playing games. This means players on those rosters will have people trying to tamper, coaches will need to be looking at players in the portal to fill needs while prepping for games, I mean it's still a mess.

This like half fixes it I guess?

 

[Bama_N_Va]

This is how i would do it.

School A and School B are playing for the NC. If I'm school B, I'm going after the 2nd string backups for school A to try to get them out for the game...

 

[BamaMoon]

The NCAA showing some common sense??? This can't be happening!

 

[4Q Basket Case]

It's a tiny baby step taken in generally the right direction. Though I agree that the dates the portal would be open are not ideal. That could change in the general membership vote, I suppose. Even if it passes, I wonder if it'll stand up to a court challenge.

Playing devil's advocate: Regular students can transfer at pretty much any time there's a break in the academic calendar. Why should the fact that the student in question is a scholarshipped athlete limit his or her transfer options?

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

" The proposed lone transfer window would be a 10-day period that opens Jan. 2, 2026, one day after the College Football Playoff quarterfinals are completed. The Division I Administrative Committee must approve the legislative changes before it can take effect. The vote is expected to occur before Oct. 1. "

NCAA votes for single transfer portal window

The NCAA FBS Oversight Committee voted Thursday to move to a January transfer window and eliminate the spring transfer window.

www.espn.com

Could this be the beginning of the beginning of a return to sanity? I hope so. However, that means the portal closes on Jan 11. The national championship is Jan 19 (the article says 1/20 but it's wrong)

Methinks they need to take another peek at the calendar because that makes no sense unless they're assuming guys will announce I"m transferring but play in the NC. If I'm the coach, nobody who announces they're transferring would be playing in any game after that. Get gone.

A single transfer portal is a major step in the right direction!

Yeah, but I don't think that window is going to work.

The window should be for the 10 days immediately following the Title Game and then make NSD the last of February to give teams a chance at addressing the resulting attrition...

That makes sense, so it won't happen...

 

[BamaNation]

A single transfer portal is a major step in the right direction!

Yeah, but I don't think that window is going to work.

The window should be for the 10 days immediately following the Title Game and then make NSD the last of February to give teams a chance at addressing the resulting attrition...

That makes sense, so it won't happen...

The problem with that is that if a guy is gona transfer for spring, school starts by 2nd week in January most places. I'm sure that's why this new window was set like this but it's untenable for teams making the championship game. But of course, who actually cares about school these days when they goin' to the LEAGUE, baby!

 

[mrusso]

Make the window after the spring semester. Spring training is over and most players have an idea of where they stand by then.

 

[Isaiah 63:1]

Make the window after the spring semester. Spring training is over and most players have an idea of where they stand by then.

This makes too much sense. Unfortunately...

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

The problem with that is that if a guy is gona transfer for spring, school starts by 2nd week in January most places. I'm sure that's why this new window was set like this but it's untenable for teams making the championship game. But of course, who actually cares about school these days when they goin' to the LEAGUE, baby!

I get what you are saying, but admissions offices are already making exceptions to enrollment deadlines...

 

[4Q Basket Case]

I get what you are saying, but admissions offices are already making exceptions to enrollment deadlines...

Many players don’t go to class in the traditional sense much at all. Lots of online classes and class via electronic correspondence — which is kind of the same thing. Also, online via Shelton State JC in Tuscaloosa is an option for early classes to transfer to UA.

Point being, you could start a few weeks into the semester and still qualify as a student.

This isn't new. Many players go to few if any classes in a traditional classroom. Lots of online classes and class via electronic correspondence. Plus, very few are in majors with labs or more technical requirements that aren't flexible as to time.

Slightly off-topic, but I remember only two athletes in any of my classes in my entire time at UA...which is getting perilously close to 50 years ago.

It was the late 70s / early 80s, and I had an Econ class with both Jeremiah Sprinkle (football, DB, mostly a top reserve with a few starts) and Ken Johnson (basketball, starter, smooth-as-silk shooting forward).

I was in the business school. But I wasn't in Accounting....forget about Engineering or any of the more demanding A&S majors.

Even then, the athlete's collegiate academic experience was far different from the regular student's.

 

[BamaInCummingGA]

It's a tiny baby step taken in generally the right direction. Though I agree that the dates the portal would be open are not ideal. That could change in the general membership vote, I suppose. Even if it passes, I wonder if it'll stand up to a court challenge.

Playing devil's advocate: Regular students can transfer at pretty much any time there's a break in the academic calendar. Why should the fact that the student in question is a scholarshipped athlete limit his or her transfer options?

To my understanding they are limited now to two transfer periods, correct? If not I will stand corrected.
So going from 2 to 1 in my mind (and I'm no atty so take this with a grain of salt) should not bring a lawsuit.
Another thing I would like to see with this is a player buyout. If nothing else school B has to pay school A back for all the scholarship money and time and training spent on said player. Along with that, and this has been said by someone in another post, have contracts with these kids moving forward and tie the NIL to performance. Coaches get fired for lack of performance and these players wanted to be equal in coaches on being able to leave teams and such so stick that to them, too.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

To my understanding they are limited now to two transfer periods, correct? If not I will stand corrected.
So going from 2 to 1 in my mind (and I'm no atty so take this with a grain of salt) should not bring a lawsuit.
Another thing I would like to see with this is a player buyout. If nothing else school B has to pay school A back for all the scholarship money and time and training spent on said player. Along with that, and this has been said by someone in another post, have contracts with these kids moving forward and tie the NIL to performance. Coaches get fired for lack of performance and these players wanted to be equal in coaches on being able to leave teams and such so stick that to them, too.

I agree 10,000% with your intent. I'm just not at all sure that such things are practically achievable in today's structure.

You could put that language into pay-for-play contracts. And if the player signs, it would be enforceable. But I think you'd have a hard time getting players to agree. They'd just go to another school that doesn't require that level of personal accountability.

All getting back to my three-year-old rant. The only thing that will fix this mess and be enforceable is a labor union / management structure and a CBA.

 

[Isaiah 63:1]

To my understanding they are limited now to two transfer periods, correct? If not I will stand corrected.
So going from 2 to 1 in my mind (and I'm no atty so take this with a grain of salt) should not bring a lawsuit.

Not 100% correct. If the head coach leaves for any reason, the portal opens for that school’s players, meaning they can leave but their soon-to-be-former school’s roster is pretty much hosed…

 

[CB4]

Guess my question is what prevents a player in late spring/summer, after the portal closes, from withdrawing from school and enrolling at another school for the fall semester? Wisconsin is still in the process of suing Miami for tampering in this situation. The player withdrew from Wisconsin then enrolled at Miami the following January, completely bypassing the portal process. The NCAA stated it was perfectly legal because the player, by withdrawing, was technically not a student athlete.

What can the NCAA do to prevent a student athlete to completely avoid transfer restrictions by withdrawing and enrolling elsewhere?

 

[bamaga]

I would think there would be provisions for teams still playing. Maybe have 10 days after their last game To enter the portal.

I would also think you could transfer at any semester break, but would have to sit out a year unless there is a proven hardship.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

I would think there would be provisions for teams still playing. Maybe have 10 days after their last game To enter the portal.

I would also think you could transfer at any semester break, but would have to sit out a year unless there is a proven hardship.

I agree with ability to transfer at a break in the academic calendar. But I don't know how forcing the transferring player to sit out a year would stand up.

"Hardship" has come to mean pretty much anything the player wants it to mean....homesickness, um...mental health, grandmother is getting old, somebody in the stands at the old school called him a bad name, a hangnail, whatever.

As a practical matter, it's no longer enforceable because (1) the definition has come to be anything that causes the least bit of discomfort for the poor darlin', and (2) it's so easy to claim inconsistent administration / selective enforcement.

 

[Windsortide]

A single portal period I think soul help stabilize some of this player movement.

 

[Redwood Forrest]

It's a tiny baby step taken in generally the right direction. Though I agree that the dates the portal would be open are not ideal. That could change in the general membership vote, I suppose. Even if it passes, I wonder if it'll stand up to a court challenge.

Playing devil's advocate: Regular students can transfer at pretty much any time there's a break in the academic calendar. Why should the fact that the student in question is a scholarshipped athlete limit his or her transfer options?

I think you answered your own question. Regular vs scholarship. They are different for a reason.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Playing devil's advocate: Regular students can transfer at pretty much any time there's a break in the academic calendar. Why should the fact that the student in question is a scholarshipped athlete limit his or her transfer options?

Because the entire class / school isn’t affected if Bob or Susan decide to transfer. A regular student can quit mid-term and no one cares
Outside of maybe a lab partner. But if a starter on the team decides to quit, it directly impacts the entire team and to some degree, the school’s coffers.