Football Transfer Portal Work

A transfer portal is an online database for college football players. It gives coaches an up-to-the-minute list of players that are looking to change teams. The NCAA transfer portal was introduced in the fall of 2018 and opened to graduate transfers in March of 2019. In the current cycle, student-athletes have two windows to enter the transfer portal: one in the spring, and one in December.

Since the NCAA transfer portal opened, there has been a steady stream of news about players who plan to move on from their schools. Some are going to graduate schools, while others are redshirting their freshman season to preserve their scholarships. While many players are happy to stay on their current teams, other players are unhappy and want more playing time.

This is a process that every football transfer news program will face at some point. Players can get moved on and off of a team, and this will make roster management more challenging than ever. Teams may need to scramble to fill the gaps. As a result, it is critical that the college personnel department is prepared to handle any player who decides to transfer.

How Does the Football Transfer Portal Work?

A player who wants to enter the transfer portal has to meet a series of admissions and academic requirements. He or she also has to contact the compliance department of the school he or she would like to transfer to. After that, the student-athlete enters the portal and the team can communicate with the player. If the team is interested in the player, they can recruit the player.

Many teams are using the transfer portal to quickly build up their rosters, and some are finding success. UCLA has off to a 8-1 start and is banking on players to transfer to fit their needs. However, there are a variety of ways a transfer request can go wrong.

The first transfer window runs between December 5, 2019, and January 18, 2020. Students-athletes can enter the portal for up to 60 days. They must enter during one of the windows, but can remove themselves at any time.

Another transfer window is in April. This window is a 30-day period for students-athletes whose head coaches are fired. These players can enter the portal at any time. There are also several exceptions that allow players to transfer at any time.

Graduate transfers can also enter the portal at any time. One exception allows graduate transfers to do so within 45 days of entering the portal. Also, players transferring to an FCS school can affect their scholarship search.

Recruiting staffers at many schools are predicting chaos, and some are cautiously hopeful they have a good strategy in place. But the transfer market is still a work in progress. And the process could add pressure before an early signing period.

The portal will be open for three more cycles, and there is no guarantee it will keep a consistent stream of players moving from team to team. In fact, data suggests that 5% of FBS athletes who entered the portal in 2020 or 2021 later withdrew.