Report: American Football Coaches Association to propose change to the transfer portal system

After many college football coaches across the country spoke out about the current state of the sport and misuse of the transfer portal and NIL deals by rivals, the American Football Coaches Association is planning a game-changing proposition. According to ESPN’s Heather Dinich and Adam Rittenberg, the organization will propose transfer windows in the late fall and spring.

Todd Berry, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, spoke to ESPN at length about the issues with the transfer portal and how the proposal will alleviate some of the problems.

“We knew there were going to be very few controls over it, but at least if we had a window, then the student-athletes would be able to go, ‘Is this a good decision? Because here’s my competition. Now I know what the other competition is because we’re all in the window at the same time,'” Berry told ESPN. “It might change some perspectives. They need to be able to make educated decisions.

“We’re working on a window concept that I think is going to be very good for the student-athlete, to give them those opportunities, and to provide the universities and their team and teammates with a little bit more clarity on positions and recruiting and those kinds of things.”

Berry also told ESPN the current portal setup without windows has created “turmoil” and “chaos” in college football as coaches look to manage their roster. In addition, A football oversight committee source told Dinich and Rittenberg that transfer windows are a “foregone conclusion.”

More about transfer windows

The only current deadline for players at this time relating to the transfer portal comes on May 1, when they must enter their name by in order to obtain a one-time free move without sitting out. That rule does not apply to graduate students however, and players entering outside that window can apply for a waiver from the NCAA to play the following season provided a valid reason exists.

The proposal would call for transfer windows for players to enter their names in the portal. The first would run from the final Sunday in November until the early signing date in mid-December, and another from April 15 to May 1, according to ESPN. Both windows would line up with contact periods in recruiting.

The window would not require transfers to be completed during that window, but would require their name to be inserted by the deadline but no sooner than the open date.