NCAA approves transfer portal windows, nixes unlimited transfer idea

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors has handed down some new regulations regarding the transfer portal and how often players can go from school to school without penalty. The newly accepted changes have been expected for some time, while one of the more scorched-earth ideas — relative to old-school amateurism — was vetoed.

The approved transfer portal windows create periods where athletes are supposed to notify their current coaches of intent to transfer. The windows correspond to the season athletes compete in.

From an NCAA press release on the rule change: “The board adopted the following notification-of-transfer windows: Fall sports: a 45-day window beginning the day after championships selections are made in their sport, or May 1-15. Reasonable accommodations will be made for participants in the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision championship games. Winter sports: a 60-day window beginning the day after championships selections are made in the sport. Spring sports: Dec. 1-15, or a 45-day window beginning the day after selections are made in the sport.”

In the same release, it is noted that the NCAA will not be adopting immediate eligibility beyond the one-time exception now on the books.

Per the release: “The board opted not to enact a new exception to the transfer rules that would allow student-athletes to transfer multiple times and be immediately eligible if they meet progress-toward-degree requirements at their new school. However, the board remains committed to continuing to study the impact of the new transfer rules in both the short and long term.”

On the infractions front, the much-maligned, mostly-inert Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) has been killed off after being created in 2019 in response to the federal investigation into cheating in college basketball recruiting.

But after placing a moratorium on new case referrals earlier this year, the NCAA has now decided not to bring it back.

Per a separate NCAA release: “During that time, the Transformation Committee charged the IPC [Infractions Process Committee] with considering overall changes to the infractions process. The IPC determined that discontinuing the independent process — when combined with the proposals to modernize the peer-review process — would streamline the overall infractions process and make better use of membership and national office resources.”

The release noted that further changes to improve the infractions process are being considered.