NCAA committee to recommend 60-day transfer windows for fall, spring sports

The NCAA is getting serious about tightening up the transfer process for student-athletes, unveiling a plan for 60-day transfer windows for fall and spring sports on Friday. The NCAA transformation committee sent schools new recommendations, which include the proposed transfer windows, that will be made to the  NCAA DI Board of Directors, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

The committee is proposing three separate transfer windows to the Board of Director. For fall sports, athletes would be able to enter the transfer portal for 45 days after championship games and from May 1-May 15. For spring sports such as softball and baseball, athletes have one 60-day window after the championship games. The new recommendation adds that entering the portal outside the window would incur a penalty of one year served in residence upon transfer.

Last summer, the NCAA granted all student-athletes a one-time penalty-free transfer that removed the sit-one requirement so long as it was their first transfer. Prior to the change, athletes had to obtain a waiver to play right away, in a process that was often criticized as too subjective.

In June, the transformation committee also called for more accountability for schools that pick up transfers via the portal as a response to NIL’s apparent impact on transfers.

Transfer portal windows set to tighten up current process

Currently, the portal is open from Aug. 1 to May 1 for athletes to have immediate eligibility. If an athlete enters the portal after May 1, they need to get a waiver from the NCAA to play right away. The 2022-23 school year will mark the second year the NCAA allowed athletes to play immediately upon a transfer, coinciding with the advent of NIL.

NIL and the portal go hand-in-hand as part of conversations around college athletics this offseason. It came to a head just before the May 1 deadline when reports surfaced about a potential NIL deal for Jordan Addison if he left Pittsburgh for USC — a report that came out before he officially entered the portal. Ultimately, Addison transferred to join forces with Lincoln Riley and the Trojans, but Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi reportedly called Riley about allegations of tampering before Addison’s name hit the portal.

Addison, the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner, was No. 2 overall this offseason, according to the On3 Rankings. He sat just one spot behind his new quarterback, Caleb Williams, who arrived at USC after a year at Oklahoma.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.