Transfer Portal: Massive change incoming across all sports

The landscape of college athletics, arguably, has changed more in the last three years than at any point in history. The transfer portal, NIL, and conference realignment are underlying storylines that have major effects on sports and the athletes who play the sports.

Up to this point in the modern world of the transfer portal, regulations in different sports were not uniform. Some sports had a 60-day transfer portal window. Others operated with a 45-day window. Some sports had just one window in which non-graduate players could enter the portal, while others had multiple windows spread out during the offseason.

On Wednesday, the D1 Council approved a universal 45-day transfer window that would go into effect across all sports. Not every sport had specific details released, but it is believed that fall sports would share similar standards with football, and winter and spring sports would follow similar guidelines as basketball.

The college football window would be split into two smaller windows (one 30-day opportunity after the season and one 15-day window in the spring). No details have emerged as to whether the postseason window would start before, after, or during the primary bowl season.

For college basketball (both the men’s game and the women’s game), the window will be open for one 45-day period after the season. Again, like with football, it is unclear whether this window will open after the regular season, during postseason play, or after the NCAA Tournament has ended.

Graduate students will still be allowed to enter the portal at any time, and players already in the transfer portal will be able to commit and enroll in their new schools during any enrollment period that complies with eligibility standards.

This approval does not invoke any change officially until final meetings are held for ratification. It comes on the heels of the NCAA deciding to create harsher penalties for athletics programs violating NCAA rules.