NCAA approves a single January transfer window in college football

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The NCAA approved a single January transfer window in college football on Wednesday, a move that will allow coaches with high-stakes postseason games to focus more on matchups than player retention.

The Division I Administrative Committee approved the new window of January 2-16. Bowl subdivision coaches voted unanimously to support the change during their American Football Coaches Association convention earlier this year.

The new 15-day period replaces the current 20-day December period. Most teams now will be able to keep active players as they prepare for their biggest games. Last season, Penn State backup quarterback Beau Pribula entered the portal and missed his team’s run in the College Football Playoff.

The new window will allow players on teams in postseason games to remain eligible before entering the portal. Players on teams competing on or after Jan. 12 can notify during a consecutive-five-day period beginning the day after their team’s final postseason game.

The spring portal period already had been removed. The April 16-25 window this past offseason created havoc for coaches and players during spring practice. Nico Iamaleava, a quarterback who led Tennessee to the playoff last season, left for UCLA in the most high-profile example.

The NCAA also announced that the head coach change exception for football will now be 15 days, starting five days after a new coach is hired if that announcement comes after Jan. 2.

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