OSU's Ryan Day Rips Proposed CFB Transfer Portal Changes, Not 'A Good Idea at All'

Ohio State coach Ryan Day is not a fan of a recent proposal to eliminate the spring transfer portal from college football.

"No. I don't think it's a good idea at all," Day said when asked about the proposed change at the 31:20 mark of his Tuesday press conference (h/t WBNS 10TV).

"In the conversations that we had with the Big Ten coaches, I think the majority of them agree. I just don't quite understand how, for teams that are playing in the playoffs, are expected to make the decisions, and sign their upcoming players, while they're still getting ready to play for games. It doesn't make any sense to me.

"I know the calendar is funky. But I know that the Big Ten, and [commissioner] Tony Petitti, has been working hard, because he doesn't believe it either, and neither do the coaches in the Big Ten. We've had a lot of long discussions about that, and tried to work through the different windows. But I don't agree with it being in January."

The NCAA FBS Oversight Committee voted Thursday to move to a 10-day transfer window starting Jan. 2, the day after the 2026 College Football Playoff quarterfinals, according to the NCAA.

The change still needs to be approved by the DI Administrative Committee. The committee is expected to vote sometime in September, per the NCAA.

The FBS oversight committee also proposed making December "a recruiting dead period" in which coaches could not host or visit recruits.

Cutting down the total transfer portal opening time to 10 days would be a significant decrease from the 30 days the portal was open last season.

The 2024-25 college football season featured a winter transfer portal from Dec. 9 to Dec. 28, followed by a spring transfer window from April 16 to April 25.

The change would also move the winter transfer portal to take place during the playoff. Last season, Ohio State played in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 and the national championship game on Jan. 20.

Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger reported in July that the Big Ten was the only conference in the FBS against opening a single portal in January.

Dellenger had previously reported that the Big Ten wanted the portal to open in April to coincide with the end of the academic year in May and the new revenue-sharing year in June.

"That's not where the other three (power) leagues are," Petitti said about the Big Ten's stance on the April transfer portal in July, per Dellenger. "At the end of the day, when you govern with others, there are going to be issues where you know you're going to have to agree that your position wasn't the one adopted.

"But having player movement occur during the postseason seems something that is not ideal. It puts players in tough spots. It's not good for the game."

Day's comments indicate the Big Ten's stance hasn't changed despite the oversight committee's vote.

The Big Ten is also working to drive change in the upcoming College Football Playoff. Petitti recently proposed to his conference an expansion of the CFP to 24 or 28 teams, with a "large number of auto bids" for Power Four conferences, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.

These potential playoff changes could also be discussed this month. The CFP management committee, featuring conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director, is set to meet Sept. 24 at the Big Ten's offices, per The Athletic's Ralph D. Russo.