Lane Kiffin not confident SEC transfer portal deadline will be changed

While speaking about the proposal to move the SEC deadline for intraconference transfers, Lane Kiffin wasn’t confident the change would pass. The SEC currently requires all transfers within the conference to be final before Feb. 1 in order to be immediately eligible for that season. The new proposal put forth by Alabama would have the SEC move that deadline to May 1 — lining up with the NCAA transfer portal rules and eliminating the special deadline date.

Lane Kiffin on transfer portal deadline proposal

“Lane Kiffin guesses Alabama’s SEC rule change proposal will not pass that would push the intraconference transfer deadline from Feb 1 to May 1,” stated ALdotcom’s Mike Rodak. “Kiffin: ‘Someone kind of joked, they’re not going to put their spring game on TV’ because they’d be showcasing their players to poach.”

The proposal from Alabama would allow schools in the SEC to recruit in players much later into the offseason, after the beginning of spring. Currently the SEC deadline lined up with national signing day, leaving students who wish to transfer out of their schools with very little time if they wish to remain in the SEC. For a powerhouse like Alabama, moving the deadline appears to be a good way to flex their recruiting prowess later into the year.

However, if Kiffin’s comments are correct, not everybody in the SEC agrees with the proposal. Coaches joking about their spring games becoming a recruiting tape for rivals isn’t entirely out of the question.

In addition to his comments about the possibility of the deadline being moved, Kiffin shed some light on his personal vote on the issue. According to Kiffin, he would rather keep the deadline how it is — but stressed that he wouldn’t speak for any other schools on the issue.

“He seems to be in favor of the old rule sticking, too, and noted his opinion on the rule staying is his alone and doesn’t speak for the rest of the coaches,” explained On3 Sports’ Jesse Simonton.