In their never ending quest to change rules without actually bargaining with the players, the NCAA has eliminated the spring transfer portal period for football. The specific length is still to be determined, but this will take effect on January 2nd.
Of course it’s the NCAA, so there will be exceptions to the portal window:
Players on teams that endure head-coaching changes will still get an immediate 30-day transfer window, which begins the day after the coaching change is made. And for players on teams who
play deep into the postseason, a five-day window begins the day after their last game.
Coaches have lobbied for the changes and it makes sense to have players in their new homes before spring practice, but the impact will be felt. For example, Syracuse added several players from the spring portal that are playing valuable roles. Seven current starters came to the Orange during that spring period: Steve Angeli, Austin Collins, Johntay Cook, TJ Ferguson, George Rooks, Gary Bryant and Chris Peal.
There’s no way to know for sure if those players would have left their previous schools in January, or if it would have meant that Syracuse kept Trebor Pena or Maraad Watson. This spring will be interesting as teams handle roster management under the new timeline- especially with more teams still playing in the CFP. If a 10-day transfer period is established, that doesn’t leave players with a lot of time to conduct visits or negotiations, which means agents will likely be working back channels during the season to help the process.
A positive out of the new structure is that teams will have spring practice to acclimate, which could have helped the Orange offensive line. Returning players like Trevion Mack and Joe Cruz got used to working with one group, only to end up having to adjust to the summer transfers. We’ll have to see how this change impacts revenue sharing/NIL offers. Schools that have a good sense of where their needs lie, could find value in a crowded market, but they will also lose the cushion of the spring period.
What are your thoughts on the change?
