The NCAA Division I Administrative Committee has officially approved a major change to the college football transfer portal, setting a one-time-only window that will run from January 2 to January 16 for the 2025-26 season. The NCAA Division I Administrative Committee passed the adjustment on Tuesday, a move that eliminates the spring window entirely and shortens transfer access following coaching changes.
The NCAA confirmed that the change would become permanent once the committee’s meeting concludes on Wednesday. Moving forward, all Division I football players will have a 15-day period from January 2-16 each year to enter the portal, per ON3.
Athletes participating in the College Football Playoff (CFP) who play on or after January 12, including those in the national championship, will be given an extra five days after their season ends to notify their school of transfer intentions. Once a player enters the portal, however, there is no set deadline to commit to a new program, as commitment deadlines depend on individual school enrollment periods.
The most notable shift also comes for players dealing with coaching changes. Previously, athletes had a 30-day period to transfer immediately after a head coach’s firing.
Under the new rule, players will now have 15 days to enter the portal, beginning five days after a new head coach is hired or announced. Further, graduate transfers will no longer be allowed to enter the portal before January 2, closing another loophole that previously enabled early movement.
In April 2025 alone, more than 1,100 FBS scholarship players entered the transfer portal, flooding programs and forcing last-minute roster reshuffles. The NCAA Football Oversight Committee had initially proposed a shorter January 2–11 window, but the decision was extended by five days following feedback from student-athletes.
The Big Ten Conference, however, remains strongly opposed to the new schedule, with Ohio State head coach Ryan Day claiming that the new system puts CFP teams at a disadvantage, per ON3.
