College football has a calendar problem. The sport’s postseason, draft, and biggest free agency window now all occur at the same time. That means programs must build for the future and still work with the current team at the same time. This has all become more complicated with the expanded College Football Playoff that could expand again for the 2026 season.
Coaches are looking for a change. At the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) convention in Charlotte this week, a new proposal has emerged. Coaches want to eliminate the spring transfer portal window and have requested a singular 10-day window in January after bowl games. Graduate transfers will be able to leave for another school at any time.
“These recommendations are intended to allow a student-athlete and coaches more opportunity to focus on their season while preserving the opportunities for students who choose to transfer to still do so for a traditional spring semester,” AFCA executive director Craig Bohl said.
This proposal now will be looked at by the NCAA oversight committee. The coaches feel that the double windows now available in the winter and spring have presented some unexpected obstacles for all parties involved. A recruiting dead period was also in the proposal to eliminate any contact with potential recruits or transfers while bowl prep is ongoing.
“We felt it was important as coaches to express some of the challenges that the student-athletes encountered when we rolled out the windows,” Bohl said. “There were good intentions, but there were some unintended consequences.”
However, it is important to point out that these are still college students. The portal windows are not deadlines, but all schools have to get players enrolled by a certain date in January for classes in the spring semester. A system where there is a only a couple of weeks available for visits could complicate matters.
With the House v. NCAA settlement potentially right around the corner, college football rosters are going to shrink to 105 scholarships. There are more changes on the way. In the fluid landscape of the sport, things are continually changing fast. Coaches want to help fix the offseason so there is less chaos but being tied to an academic calendar may make it difficult for transfer portal activity to wait until January. Eliminating the spring window entirely could be a good compromise but there is always the threat of lawsuits like the Diego Pavia junior college injunction that must be considered.
The NCAA needs guardrails. Badly.
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