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The college football transfer portal was officially put into place prior to the start of the 2018 college football season. It allows college football players to change schools and play for a different program while they still have remaining eligibility to play in games.
Transferred players used to be required to sit out for an entire year before being allowed to play again, but the rules have recently changed.
The NCAA tweaked the rules during the 2021 college football offseason, no longer requiring players to sit out for a season. They will be immediately eligible to play for their new program, opening the door for many more players to enter the transfer portal. The total number of players transferring between college football has reportedly doubled since the new rule took effect.
The new rules and guidelines have basically created a traditional free-agency type format for college football players. They now have much more freedom to change teams and no longer face any restrictions for doing so. Here is everything else to know about the college football transfer portal.
When does the 2023 transfer portal open?
The 2023 transfer portal opens on Monday, Dec.4. The window will remain open for 30 days, until the first two days of the New Year. This will be the second transfer portal window of the year, preceeded by a 15-day period in April.
More than 2,000 players entered the transfer window last December, and around the same number will be expected this year.
What are the latest rule changes to the transfer portal?
As of 2023, the NCAA added a legislation to limit waivers for second-time transfer players. This means any time a player transfers twice, they must meet a specific set of criteria to be able to play during the same season. Failure to meet the criteria put the player is risk of missing the season.
What is NCAA transfer portal?
The transfer portal gives college football players an opportunity to switch programs during the offseason. This most commonly occurs when a player is unhappy with their role within a team scheme or is seeking a situation where they will receive more playing time. It can most simply be explained as college football's version of free agency.
College Transfer Portal Rules: How it works
The NCAA has removed the requirement forcing players to take a year off from playing football before becoming eligible to play for their new team. This means that players switching teams in the offseason will be immediately available to play for their new sides during the upcoming season.
Players essentially enter their names into the transfer portal's online database. This allows for every college football program in the country to see a list of players with intentions of changing teams.
They can now legally recruit these players to transfer to their school, similar to the way they do with high school players entering college for the first time.
Players are required to enter the transfer portal, else, they will be ineligible to change teams. Entering the portal doesn't require a player to transfer as they are allowed to remove themselves at any time and remain with their current program.
NCAA Transfer Portal Windows
Players may officially enter their names into the portal the day after the teams are announced for the College Football Playoffs. The window will remain open for 45 days.
There is a second window of 15 days that opens on 1st May. Any player with the intention of transferring must add their name to the official list during one of these two windows or they will be ineligible to transfer.
There are a few exceptions to the window rules. Graduate transfers may enter the portal at any time and don't need to wait for one of the windows to open. College football teams that fire their head coaches will also immediately open a 30-day window for all of their players to immediately enter the portal.
What do coaches see in the transfer portal?
College head coaches simply see a list of names, including players with the intention of transferring to a new school. These players are allowed to seek out new opportunities, while coaches and universities may recruit whichever players they are interested in acquiring.
Pros and Cons of Transfer Portal for student-athletes
One of the biggest advantages of allowing student-athletes to transfer from one program to another is that they get the best chance of playing during their football careers. Some players are buried on the depth chart of the initial school they chose.
They can now move to a team that will give them more chances of getting into a game and demonstrate their talents for a potential professional football career later on.
One of the biggest disadvantages has to do with scholarships. Universities may be less motivated to hand out large scholarships to promising high school football players because of their potential to transfer out of each college in any given year.
They may choose to allocate their resources elsewhere rather than for scholarships. This may limit certain student-athlete options when initially choosing a college to attend.
