A lot has been made about the NCAA’s transfer portal, which has created a lot of controversy in the world of college athletics. Launched in October 2018, the transfer portal helps student-athletes move between schools more easily, or at least that was its original intention.
Starting August 2022, all NCAA Division I student-athletes who want to transfer schools must do so within a specific time frame, called a transfer window. Student-athletes who wish to take advantage of the one-time transfer rule, have to enter the portal within a designated window for their sport.
But now the NCAA has adopted a series of changes to the transfer portal windows. According to ESPN, the NCAA’s Division I Council has approved a change that will shrink the number of days that student-athletes can enter their name into the portal.
Previously, the windows were slightly different for each NCAA sport, but that has now been changed thanks to Wednesday’s ruling.
This new rule applies to all sports, and it simplifies the previous system, which had different transfer windows for each sport. According to ESPN, the rule change will impact all sports and give players only 45 days throughout the year to enter their names into the portal.
Each sport will have 45 total days, but it will be divided differently by sport. For example, before this rule change, the window for football would open the day after the College Football Playoff teams are announced, which was Dec. 4 in 2022, and would stay open for 45 days.
The next period would open April 15 to April 30, which will remain the same with the new changes. Under the new rule, there will be a 30-day window after the season and 15 days in the spring.
It remains to be seen the effect that this will have on how many athletes decide to enter their name into the portal and when they choose to do so.
[ESPN]
