The NCAA Division I Council proposed new rules that would cut the transfer portal duration in half, along with dramatically impacting membership requirements at the Football Bowl Subdivision level during a meeting in Indianapolis this week. The proposals will go to the Division I membership and various advisory committees for consideration before being voted on at a future meeting, potentially as soon as October.
If passed, players will only have a 30-day window to submit their names to the transfer portal. Current rules allow for 45 days after conference championship games and an additional 15 days at the conclusion of spring practices (between May 1-15). If amended, it’s likely the first window would simply be reduced to 15 days, while the second window will remain unchanged.
Additionally, the Division I Council is eyeing new guardrails to limit the number of institutions targeting moves from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the FBS. Most notably, the one-time fee to transition levels has exploded from $5,000 to $5 million as the NCAA tilts the scale from fan support to institutional support.
Here is a list of other NCAA transitionary requirements, which would take effect Aug. 1, 2027, for both existing FBS members and schools transitioning to FBS:
Schools must fund 90% of total allowable scholarships in at least 16 sports over a two-year period, including football. The number requires all FBS football programs to fund at least 77 football scholarships of 85 allowable. Institutions must offer at least 210 total scholarships and at least $6 million in scholarships across all sports. The NCAA would eliminate attendance requirements, which currently demand schools field at least 15,000 fans per game over a…..
