A handy guide to what are the NCAA transfer portal rules?

The NCAA transfer portal can be very confusing to figure out who is in it and who went where. The Florida Gators had over 20 members of the team enter the mythical portal this offseason and picked up eight players to join the team in 2023.

But there are also some key details players must follow when entering the portal and we here at Hail Florida Hail are here to help keep them straight.

Transfer Portal Madness

It used to be that players had to sit out a season if they wanted to transfer schools. The Transfer Portal has removed that requirement and players wishing to transfer submit their names to an online portal that all college coaches have access to and players are allowed to play immediately.

When does the portal open?

For football, the portal officially opens the day after the teams are announced for the college football playoffs and remain open for 45 days.

“But Ben, players announce all the time during the season that they are entering the portal.”

Players may announce their intentions to enter the portal, but officially they are not able to submit their name to the online database and officially talk with other coaches until it opens.

Why would a player announce early they are entering the portal?

The most common reason players announce early that they are entering the portal is that they want to preserve their redshirt status for that season. If a player plays in four or fewer games, that season doesn’t count as one of the four seasons of playing eligibility they are granted.

What happens once the portal opens?

From a coach’s standpoint, all they see in the transfer portal is a list of names. Coaches are free during the 45 days to officially reach out to players and host players on campus for a recruiting visit much in the way they would for a high school player.

Do coaches reach out to players before the window opens? Probably, but it is technically against the rules.

What happens once the transfer portal closes?

If a player hasn’t found a new home when the 45 days are up, they simply return to their original school. However, there is an additional window in May from May 1 to May 15 where players are granted one more opportunity to find a new home.

Often you will see players that got beat out during the Spring season poke around to find a place they can start at.