By Max Olson and Jayna Bardahl
Apr 14, 2023
As spring practice winds down, college football’s player movement market ramps up for two critical weeks in which programs across the country turn to the transfer portal in a final push to bolster their rosters before the 2023 season kicks off. Saturday marks the opening of the 15-day post-spring window in which all players can have their names entered into the transfer portal.
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Who’s on the move, where might they land and how does it all work? Here’s a primer on college football’s answer to free agency.
How does the transfer portal work?
The transfer portal launched in the fall of 2018 as a communication tool to help give athletes more say in the process of switching schools, but this is the inaugural offseason of the window model. Athletes have 60 days per year to enter their name into the portal; for football, that time is divided into a 45-day period beginning on the Monday after bowl game selections and a 15-day period in the spring.
To enter the transfer portal, athletes notify the school of their intent to transfer. From there, the school’s compliance department has 48 hours to put an athlete’s name into the portal. Athletes must enter the portal within one of the windows in order to be immediately eligible to play at their new school through the NCAA’s one-time free transfer rule. (Graduate transfers can enter the portal at any time.)
Once in the portal, a player can select a destination – or decide to stay at their current school – at any time as long as they meet enrollment criteria. This means that even though players must enter their name in the portal within the window, they do not have to make a decision on their new destination by the time the window closes.
In the 2022-23 winter transfer window, which opened Dec. 5 and closed Jan. 18, more than 1,200 scholarship players entered the portal. The spring window is expected to be quieter but provides an opportunity for coaches and players to reflect on their status after spring practice.
GO DEEPERFeldman: Journey to the Center of the NCAA Transfer PortalWhen does the portal open and close?
The spring transfer window will open on April 15 and close on April 30. This window was originally set for May 1-15, but the NCAA Division I Council moved it up last fall to more closely align with the end of spring practices around the country.
FYI: The spring transfer window for college football begins on April 15. Not sure if everyone realized it moved up — this is from the D-I Council's October meeting: pic.twitter.com/WJU2qBlIUw
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) April 5, 2023
How many players use it?
More than 1,650 FBS scholarship players have already entered the NCAA transfer portal during the 2022-23 cycle that began on Aug. 1. So far, almost 70 percent of these players have already committed to or enrolled at their next school. Nearly 5 percent have opted to withdraw their name from the portal.
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That leaves roughly 450 scholarship players who are still uncommitted and active in the portal. Expect hundreds more to become available over the next two weeks. It’s difficult to predict how many, since this is the first iteration of a post-spring window, but nearly 400 FBS scholarship players entered the portal between April 15 and the end of July in 2022.
GO DEEPERCFB's first transfer portal window has closed. What did we learn?Who are the best players available in the portal this spring?
Among the players who have already entered the portal as grad transfers, here are a few names to know:
USC WR Gary Bryant Jr.: Bryant entered the portal in December but needed to finish his degree this spring before moving on. The former top-50 recruit caught 44 passes for 579 yards and seven touchdowns in 2021 and redshirted last season. Texas A&M, Oregon and Arizona are the contenders for his pledge.
Minnesota DT Trill Carter: Carter, a two-year starter for the Gophers, has logged 55 career tackles, 29 pressures, 8.5 TFLs and four sacks. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition in 2022 and has visited Texas, Arkansas and Illinois.
Boston College DB Josh DeBerry: He’s a versatile three-year starter for the Eagles who has played more than 2,000 career snaps and earned second-team All-ACC honors in 2021. Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Wisconsin are among the schools in the mix.
Houston OL Cam’Ron Johnson: Johnson earned first-team All-AAC honors in his first season as a starter at left guard for the Cougars. He has two more seasons of eligibility and several Power 5 offers.
Florida State DE Derrick McLendon II: McLendon started 12 games for the Seminoles in 2022 and recorded 37 tackles, 29 pressures and 3.5 sacks. He has visited South Carolina and Missouri.
Which teams have brought in the top portal classes this offseason?
Some teams made more splashes than others during the 45-day winter window:
LSU: The Tigers muscled up on defense, signing four defensive backs, five defensive linemen and former Oregon State linebacker Omar Speights, who earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors last year.
Colorado: Deion Sanders made his presence felt immediately upon his arrival in Boulder, bringing former No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter with him from Jackson State, along with the coach’s son Shedeur, who will be the Buffs’ quarterback. Colorado reeled in some Power 5 talent, too, plus coveted USF wideout Jimmy Horn Jr.
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Ole Miss: Lane Kiffin landed not one but two Power 5 quarterbacks in the portal: Spencer Sanders from Oklahoma State and Walker Howard from LSU. They’re battling with incumbent Jaxson Dart, while the Rebels brought in multiple potential contributors for the defense.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils have welcomed a whopping 27 transfers this offseason as Kenny Dillingham flips the roster. Former Notre Dame starting quarterback Drew Pyne was the headliner, but three incoming offensive linemen were multi-year starters at their previous schools.
Wisconsin: Luke Fickell and OC Phil Longo are importing a dramatically different offense for the Badgers and have tabbed SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai to run it (with two other transfers brought in to back him up). Fickell also brought along a handful of his former Cincinnati players, and ex-USC wideout C.J. Williams has flashed this spring.
For a full breakdown, check out our 10 most compelling classes from the winter’s race to be this year’s Portal King.
(Photo of Gary Bryant Jr.: Harry How/Getty Images)