Source: NCAA to move to one football transfer portal in January - ESPN

Major changes are coming to the transfer portal in college football after the NCAA Football Oversight Committee voted Thursday to move to a January transfer window and eliminate the spring window, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The proposed lone transfer window would be a 10-day period that opens Jan. 2, 2026, one day after the College Football Playoff quarterfinals are completed.

FBS coaches voted unanimously to support the January portal proposal during their American Football Coaches Association convention earlier this year, saying it will give players and coaches more time to focus on finishing their season while preserving the opportunity for players to transfer to their new school for the spring semester.

In recent years, the portal has opened for underclassmen transfers in early December immediately following conference championship games and bowl selections. In 2024-25, the winter transfer window was Dec. 9-28, and the spring portal period was April 16-25.

The collision of transfer transactions, coaching changes, high school signing day and CFP and bowl games in December has been a major source of frustration for coaching staffs. Last season, Penn State and SMU lost backup quarterbacks to the portal while they were still competing in the playoff, and Marshall opted out of the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl after determining it did not have enough players to compete due to departures brought on by a coaching change.

The elimination of the spring window, if approved, will generally be welcomed by coaches but could come under scrutiny and perhaps legal challenges for restricting the transfer movement of athletes.

The NCAA's FBS and FCS oversight committees recommended eliminating the spring window last August,