NCAA DI Council accepts new notification-of-transfer windows

FILE – In this March 18, 2015, file photo, the NCAA logo is displayed at center court as work continues at The Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, for the NCAA college basketball tournament. The NCAA Board of Directors is expected to greenlight one of the biggest changes in the history of college athletics when it clears the way for athletes to start earning money based on their fame and celebrity without fear of endangering their eligibility or putting their school in jeopardy of violating amateurism rules that have stood for decades. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

by: Kevin Redfern

Posted: Oct 4, 2023 / 02:12 PM EDT

Updated: Oct 4, 2023 / 02:12 PM EDT

The NCAA’s Division I Council passed new changes to its notification-of-transfer windows across all sports Wednesday.

For football, both FBS and FCS players will have 45 total days (formerly 60) in which the transfer portal window will be open. The first 30-day window will open the first Monday after FBS conference championship games. For players whose teams are in the College Football Playoff, there will be an additional five-day window in January. Regardless of circumstance, a second window of 15 days will open in April.

The 45-day window (also formerly 60) for men’s and women’s basketball will open the Monday after Selection Sunday.

For all other sports, windows will be modified to the following:

Fall sports: 30 days in the fall, beginning seven days after a sport’s championship selection, and 15 days in the spring (May 1-15).
Winter sports: 45 days, beginning seven days after championship selection.
Spring sports: 30 days in the spring, beginning seven days after a sport’s championship selection, and 15 days in the fall (Dec. 1-15).

The council also expressed support for the current multi-time transfer waiver model.

Among other changes, the council approved changes to spring football practices. Now, rules specify that protective equipment is limited to helmets and spider pads.

FCS schools seeking admittance into the FBS will no longer have to meet an attendance minimum, but the application fee was raised from $5,000 to $5 million. All FBS programs will also be required to provide 90% of the total number of allowable scholarships over a two-year rolling period across 16 sports, including football. Schools will also be required to fund 210 scholarships each year, amounting to no less than $6 million annually, starting in August 2027.