NCAA Division I Proposal Would Cut Transfer Portal Window from 60 to 30 Days

College athletes will have less time to enter the transfer portal if a proposal from the NCAA Division I Council becomes a new rule.

Tom VanHaaren of ESPN reported the Council proposed to reduce the number of days student athletes can enter the portal in their respective sports to 30. The time frame is currently set at 60.

The Division I Student Athlete Advisory Committee and oversight committees can offer potential amendments to the proposal, and the Council will then evaluate the situation with a final vote during an October meeting.

It should be noted that the current 60-day window is just for entering one's name into the transfer portal. Those who are in the portal are permitted to transfer outside of those dates and can still receive immediate eligibility at their next school.

VanHaaren explained winter sports have a 60-day window starting with a sport's championship selection, while spring sports have a 45-day window starting when their championships are chosen.

Football is somewhat different with a 45-day window that starts when the College Football Playoff teams are announced and another window that is open from April 15 to April 30.

The transfer portal is part of a general shift in college sports giving athletes more freedom and opportunities. They no longer have to sit out an entire season if they transfer and can make money off their name, image and likeness.

While there are potential concerns that such a system can lead to de facto free agency and make roster management all the more difficult, it also allows for players to find teams that are better suited for their individual situations.

VanHaaren noted a combined 3,597 Division I football players entered the transfer portal during the past winter and spring windows.

No team made more transfer-related headlines than Colorado with new head coach Deion Sanders.

While cornerback Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who is the coach's son, were the most notable names to come to Colorado, there was a massive roster overhaul. Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press reported on May 1 that 52 scholarship players from the Buffaloes entered the portal in the first five months after Sanders was hired.

Of those players, 43 of them entered the portal during the spring window in April.

College sports are navigating a new time with different rules, and the NCAA Division I Council is looking to put another one in place with this proposal that could limit overall player movement if it passes.