NCAA council proposes drastic changes to transfer portal system

The NCAA is proposing a pair of drastic changes to how the transfer portal system works in college athletics.

In recent years, players have been able to transfer at nearly any point on the calendar and would often be eligible for the ensuing season.

On Wednesday, the NCAA D1 Council endorsed a system where players would have “entry windows” where they could legally enter the transfer portal. As part of the proposal, players would no longer be limited to the one-time transfer rule.

Here’s an excerpt from the NCAA D1 Council’s release

:

Finally, the Council endorsed a concept that would eliminate the blanket rule prohibiting transferring more than once. The concept would also implement transfer portal “entry windows,” or periods of time in which student-athletes must provide their school with written notification of transfer to be eligible to compete immediately the following academic year.

For football and other fall sports, student-athletes would have two windows each year where they can enter the portal. The first window would be the 45 days following the “championship period” a

nd the second window would be 15 days at the beginning of May — just after most teams have completed spring practice.

For spring sports, the entry window would be 60 days following the end of the championship of that sport.

The elimination of the one-time transfer rule would allow all student-athletes the ability to transfer multiple times in their career without having to sit out for a full season.

The D1 Board of Directors are expected to vote on this proposal next month.