NCAA makes major change to college football redshirt and transfer portal rules

College football fans can barely keep up with the changing landscape of the sport. The NCAA has introduced seemingly innumerable alterations to college athletics as the transfer portal, NIL, and eligibility issues have made college football so much different than it used to be, the rule changes around the clock and tackling have shifted the way the game is played, and conference realignment and the College Football Playoff have even altered the sports' structure.

More change is on the way as, on Tuesday, news came out that the NCAA had presented potential changes to the rules surrounding redshirts and the transfer portal. According to a release from the NCAA, the NCAA Division-1 Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision Oversight Committees are recommending changes that will be voted on for adoption later this fall when the Committee meets again.

The one regarding the transfer portal had been rumored in recent days. If the proposal passes, there will no longer be two transfer portal windows. The NCAA is recommending that the spring transfer portal window will be removed, leaving just the 30-day window in the winter. The change would not affect special transfer circumstances, such as graduates being able to enter the portal at any time, players getting an additional window following a head coaching change, or the 5-day window following postseason games.

Redshirts used to be limited to players who did not play a snap or players who missed a certain amount of time in a season due to serious injury. Then, several years ago, redshirts became available to players who had played four or fewer games. Now, the NCAA will allow players to participate in four games PLUS any and all postseason contests while still maintaining their redshirt year and extra season of eligibility. The rule change is considered a "blanked waiver," meaning it is universally applicable, no matter the situation.