College football transfer portal, explained: Updated NCAA rules, dates to know for 2024-25 player moves | Sporting News (2024)

Twelve teams will play in the College Football Playoff this season, but for the rest of the country, it will soon be all about 2025— even if bowl season is still ahead.

The college football calendar offers no rest for programs, as the transfer portal opens shortly after the end of the season and forces coaches to quickly start assembling next season's roster.The transfer window boils down to player retainment and player acquisition. Going out and landing talented players from the portal is hard enough, but convincing your current players to stay might be even tougher.

It will take some time for the dust to settle, but many of the players who make an impact on the field next season will be switching programs in the weeks ahead.

Here are the dates and rules to know for this year's college football transfer window.

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What is the transfer portal?

The transfer portal was first launched in 2018 as a way for athletes to move between programs. It wasn't until 2021 that a first-time transfer was automatically eligible to play right away for their new program.

If a player wishes to leave their current school and transfer elsewhere, they must inform their program of their decision to enter the transfer portal. From there, the school has two business days to enter the athlete's name into the database for the portal.Once in the portal, it's open season. Programs can begin reaching out to the player, and the player can approach the recruitment process by listening to calls and taking visits.

Players can enter the transfer portal and decide to return to school. While it's not especially common for some of the biggest names in the portal to return, simply entering the portal doesn't officially break ties between a player and their school.

When does the college football transfer portal open?

The college football transfer portal opens on Monday, Dec. 9. Like last year, the portal opens for business the day after the College Football Playoff bracket is set and all other bowl matchups are announced.

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How long is the college football transfer portal open?

The transfer portal is open for a total of 20 days in the winter, 10 fewer than last year. Players have until Dec. 28, to put their name in the portal. However, they don't have to decide on a new school before the portal closes.

There will also be a 10-day period in the spring for players to enter the portal, down by five from last offseason. That window be from Apr. 16 to Apr. 25.

In total, the two transfer windows are 30 days compared to the 45 from the last cycle.

With that said, not every player in the portal is restricted to that timeframe. Graduate transfers — players who graduated from a four-year school and still have a fifth year of eligibility — can enter into the portal at any time, and players also have 30 days to enter the portal after a coaching change even if that coaching change occurs outside a transfer window.

College football transfer portal rules

There are restrictions in place for the transfer portal, though many still believe the process is too much of a free-for-all.

As of April 2021, athletes are no longer required tosit out a year after transferring to a new school. Before COVID-19, players would have to sit on the sideline for a season, taking a redshirt year during which they should practice with the team and remain on scholarship. However, due to the shortened/canceled seasons during the pandemic, the NCAA altered its rules when it came to the transfer portal.

Players still must be academically eligible to compete. If they do not meet the academic requirements to immediately play at a new school, they will have to sit out, just as any other ineligible student-athlete must.

When it comes to graduate transfers, as mentioned, they are eligible to enter the portal at any time. However, there are still rules for the older players, as well. In order for a grad transfer to switch schools, they must have graduated from their current college, have at least one year of eligibility left on their five-year clock, and be enrolling in a graduate school that has their desired sport.

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On a school-by-school basis, players must meet academic requirements at whichever school they wish to join. Academic requirements became an issue on the basketball side of the portal in 2023 when Caleb Love originally committed to Michigan but had to back out because he didn't have enough credits to transfer in.

The full list of rules and requirements by the NCAA can be found here.

College football transfer portal, explained: Updated NCAA rules, dates to know for 2024-25 player moves | Sporting News (2024)
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