The NCAA Division I Council has voted to shorten transfer windows in football and basketball from 45 days to 30 days. However, the body opted against eliminating the spring transfer window, which was recommended by the Football Oversight Committee.
The fall transfer window will by reduced from 30 to 20 days, and will still start on the day after the College Football Playoff field is announced. The post-spring window will go from 15 to 10 days as part of the legislative change. For the 2024-25 school year, the dates will be from Dec. 9-28 and April 16-25.
For men’s and women’s college basketball, the transfer window will open immediately after the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Previously, the window would open the day after the March Madness bracket was released. Unlike fall and spring sports, which give opportunities to depart after each semester, winter sports have only one transfer window.
Additionally, any school that fires its coach will automatically trigger a separate 30-day transfer window. That rule remains unchanged.
Coaches have pushed for more limits on transfer activity as an attempt to limit roster uncertainty. More than 3,800 FBS football players entered the portal after the 2023 season, with nearly one-third coming in the post-spring window. However, only 11 of the top 100 players in the 247Sports Transfer Portal Rankings changed teams during the spring.
While the Division I Council rejected the proposal now, it could reconsider down the road. The decision comes one day after the House v. NCAA case received preliminary approval, clearing the way for revenue sharing to begin before the 2025 season. The case is set to receive final approval on April 7, 2025, only nine days before the spring transfer period would open.
