College football coaches vote to push for the gate window to be reduced to 10 days, moved to January

CHARLOTTE — College football head coaches voted Tuesday to recommend a proposal to reduce sports transfer portal windows to a single 10-day window in January.

The recommendation, which is not an official NCAA proposal but will be moved to NCAA committees, came after a meeting of more than 60 head coaches of the American Football Coaches Association Conference’s Football Bowl Subdivision, a much higher turnout than most years. Among the notable names attending the ceremony were Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Alabama’s Kallen DeBoer, and Auburn’s Hugh Freeze. At least, coaches from the SEC, Big 12 and American Athletic Conference said The athlete Their associations strongly encouraged coaches to attend this year to discuss this specific topic at the meeting.

The recommendation would reduce the gate windows from a 20-day window in December and a 10-day window in April to just Jan. 2-12, starting in 2026, if approved in time through the NCAA process. The recommendation would also change the December recruiting lull period to a dead period.

The AFC does not set rules for college football, but can make recommendations to football’s oversight committees. Former Wyoming State and North Dakota head coach Craig Buhl became the organization’s new CEO a year ago. Also in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting were Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks and Buffalo athletic director Mark Allnutt, who are members of the Division I Council and the FBS Football Oversight Committee.

“We felt it was important as coaches to express some of the challenges our student-athletes faced when we opened the windows,” Buhl said. “There were good intentions, but there were some unintended consequences.”

Portal windows only indicate when college players can enter the portal. They do not need to choose a new school in this time frame, although academic registration calendars create some actual deadlines. Graduate students were allowed to enter at any time, while players whose head coach was fired were given an immediate 30-day window to enter after a coaching change. Pohl spoke to reporters for only three minutes before rushing off to another meeting and did not address whether any of that would change, although it is not expected to.

The transfer window to enter has been steadily shrinking in size since it was first announced in 2022. It started at 60 days (45 after the regular season, 15 in the spring). A year later, the total had dropped to 45 days. In October, the NCAA Division I Council shortened the period again to 30 days.

Last August, the Football Oversight Committees recommended that the Council maintain a single 30-day window in the winter and remove the spring window. There was an expectation among some industry sources that would happen, but it did not happen, due to concerns about backlash from athletes and roster cuts expected later this year after the House v. NCAA football roster sizes at 105 players. Without a spring gate window, many of these players who were dropped from rosters could be stuck.

Before Tuesday’s AFC meeting, the coaches’ feelings about the potential portal solution were mixed. Some said The athlete They favored a spring-only window, to slow down a hectic December, especially for College Football Playoff teams that risk losing players to the gate before games, like Penn State backup quarterback Beau Pribula. It is also more academically appropriate for players to transfer after the year rather than between semesters.

But other head coaches said they prefer a winter-only window because if a disgruntled player wants to transfer, the coach doesn’t want to have to keep him through winter training and spring training.

Coaches and collegiate schools have been frustrated by the spring gate window, as it gives players opportunities to renegotiate their NIL compensation just months after agreeing to deals in the first gate window, having gained new leverage by earning a starting position during spring training or To be contacted by other programs in need about accessing the portal.

Tuesday’s discussion between the coaches resulted in a compromise on the calendar and no changes were made to spring practice. Now the topic will move to the NCAA committees for discussion and decisions.

“These recommendations are intended to provide more opportunities for student-athletes and coaches to focus on their season while maintaining opportunities for students who choose to transfer to still be able to do so for the traditional spring semester,” Buhl said. “Our coaches care deeply about our student-athletes, and this decision was made with a nominee that will allow them greater stability and ability to move forward.”

Pohl said the coaches voted electronically before arriving at the final decision, which received a unanimous voice vote.

(Photo: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)