The NCAA Administrative Committee officially decided that the two-window Transfer Portal model is done with. According to Ross Dellenger, the committee decided that the spring window has been eliminated and there will only be one window in the fall.
The details of the fall window, such as the length of the window and the day it opens, have yet to be determined. All other information will be announced within the month, according to Dellenger.
The NCAA Administrative Committee decided today to eliminate the spring football transfer portal window but left undecided the exact length and timing of a single fall portal window, sources tell @YahooSports. A decision on details of the fall window is expected within the month.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 17, 2025
For now, teams can take a sigh of relief knowing their rosters can't be tampered with as much as before. Rather than worry about players leaving in the offseason, coaches can finish the season knowing what their team looks like moving forward until the next fall window. They have a bit more security.
However, the timing of the window can create some in-season chaos. Feedback from athletes is still being considered to determine those official dates, but right now under the proposal, the window is open from Jan. 2 to Jan. 11. Per the old guidelines, players who participate in a playoff game after the portal closes will have a five-day window.
Even with an additional, five-day portal for those players participating in the postseason, schools might not want those distractions lingering around. It'll cause a lot of chaos in regards to meetings, decisions, and trying to pick up players.
Most Big Ten coaches expressed their opposition for a Transfer Portal window in January, and rather preferred a single window in the spring. With the latest update, though, the conference won't get its way.
"I think most of the coaches in the Big Ten feel that you don't want to be playing a season and dealing with the Transfer Portal at the same time," Penn State head coach James Franklin said to reporters in Week 3. ". . . I don't think anybody thinks it's a good idea to have it during the season, right?"
Changing the window's currently proposed dates can help out, even if it's slight. Finding the time that causes the least amount of disturbance to the season is key. If the current proposed dates stand, schools and their players in the CFP will be at a disadvantage compared to those who aren't.