A proposal to eliminate the college football spring transfer portal window has the sport buzzing, and though it appears the NCAA’s efforts are benevolent, many wonder if the organization will be able to enact such legislation without legal challenges from players.
The NCAA Football Oversight Committee recommended a proposal this week to eliminate the 15-day portal window in April, which could go into effect as early as this academic year. If that happens, athletic departments nationwide will be tasked with finalizing rosters in December amid arguably the most tumultuous time in college sports. Coupled with the high-school signing period, the 30-day portal window and the coaching carousel, school administrators will likely also ask their coaches to shrink their 120-man rosters to 105 in preparation for the new revenue-sharing model expected to be implemented July 1.
“It won’t pass,” a Group of Five coach told CBS Sports. “That’s a lawsuit, limiting players from leaving in the spring.”
Added another coach: “All it’s going to take is one kid who wants to transfer in April to sue.”
Only allowing player movement in the portal from Dec. 9 to Jan. 7 would certainly help stabilize rosters and eliminate tampering from other schools in the winter and spring, but it comes with a price.
“For first-year staffs, not having that second window is brutal,” Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall told CBS Sports. “It’s gonna make it more challenging for first-year staffs to get their roster right because you’re already dealing with hiring a staff in December. By the time the coach gets there it’s already chaos with the portal and other stuff.”
Sumrall was hired away from Troy by Tulane in December. Five Tulane starters, including four on defense, transferred to Tulane during the spring window, Sumrall said.
More than 3,800 players entered the portal following the 2023 season, which blew past the previous record of 3,502 set during the 2022-23 cycle. More than 1,200 did so during the spring window, according to 247Sports.
CBS Sports surveyed coaches, administrators, player personnel directors and player agents in an effort to seek their reaction to the proposal. Their reactions were mixed. Here are the pros and cons of the proposal as they see it:
Spring tampering disappears
Coaches across the sport, particularly among the lower-level power teams and the Group of 5, have alleged tampering by rival schools in the spring. Earlier this week Miami (Ohio) head coach Chuck Martin accused Alabama of stealing their kicker, Lou Groza Award winner Graham Nicholson. Last year, Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson said six to eight players were offered money to enter the portal.
Even with the new proposed rules, alleged tampering won’t go away, but no spring transfer window will help ease some of those problems.
“You can coach your guys tougher in the spring knowing they can’t leave,” a Power Four head coach told CBS Sports. “The only negative will be if you have any long-term injuries in spring practice because you can’t replace them.”
While the spring window was popular, only 11 of the top 100 players in the 247Sports Transfer Portal Rankings entered during the spring cycle, including just three of the top 50. The programs hit the hardest: lower-level teams.
“It will force some kids to actually face adversity instead of just jumping from school to school,” a Group of Five head coach said.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has been in favor of creating a single portal window. He’s already enforcing a stricter transfer policy in his own conference, where players aren’t allowed to transfer to another league school after Feb. 2.
No room for taking risks, making errors
The free market in the portal era has transformed spring practices into a tryout period for many players, particularly those with new position coaches or head coaches.
If a player has only a few days to decide whether to stay with a new coach in December, they could be stuck in an unhappy marriage with said coach for an entire season.
“Kids will have to stay locked in during the season, whether they’re a starter or not. They will need quality film to hit the portal come December,” a Big 12 assistant coach said.
Players may also lose leverage with their name, image and likeness. Schools are usually forced to pay more for high-profile players in the spring, when coaches are desperate to fill rosters with game-changing athletes and also fill holes opened by unexpected injuries in the offseason.
“I think it’s unfair to the player,” a player agent told CBS Sports. “The best part of the spring portal is after a coach leaves, it gives kids a chance to give the new regime a chance.”
Most players in the spring window enter the portal when they realize they will not crack the rotation at their current schools during spring practices. For those players, they often leave for smaller programs to seek more playing time.
“Are we saying guys could still transfer down to FCS despite no spring window?” a coach asked.
The market also changes based on schools’ needs. Multiple teams sought defensive tackles in the spring, and with so few available in the portal, reports emerged of seven-figure NIL deals being offered to highly coveted transfer targets.
Spotlight back on February signing day?
The early signing period for incoming high school players will move up two weeks to Dec. 4 this year. The early signing period was created in 2017 and has effectively stolen the spotlight of the traditional signing day on the first Wednesday of February. Most high school players now sign in December, but eliminating the spring transfer portal window could cause high school players to wait until February to see how rosters shake out during the only portal window in December.
It may also provide high school players more leverage in negotiations with the portal closed in January.
“If there is no spring portal, high school kids’ second signing day will be huge,” a Big 12 head coach said.
