NCAA approves NFL-style summer workouts, earlier season start, and shorter transfer portal window for FBS
The NCAA has approved a sweeping overhaul of the FBS football calendar, with changes set to take effect on Jan. 1, pending final approval from the Division I Cabinet at its Oct. 6–7 meeting. The revised offseason structure replaces traditional spring practices and summer activities with 21 on-field practices split across two sessions that together cannot exceed seven weeks, alongside a requirement for schools to designate at least nine weeks in which voluntary or discretionary athletic activities are prohibited. The regular season will begin one week earlier than the current Week 1, with each team receiving a second bye week to compensate for the extended schedule. The January transfer portal window will be reduced from 15 days to 10 days, opening on the first business day after Jan. 1, while the spring portal window has already been eliminated.
Why it matters
For service providers: Player support and development staff will need to restructure offseason programming to comply with the new session limits and mandatory discretionary weeks.
For coaches: Coaches gain NFL-style summer workout flexibility but must adapt recruiting and roster-building strategies to a tighter 10-day transfer portal window.
For athletes: College football players will have fewer days to enter the transfer portal in January and will experience a restructured offseason with mandated periods free from athletic obligations.
For collectives: Collectives and NIL stakeholders will need to accelerate deal-making timelines to align with the compressed transfer portal window.
Read the full story at CBS Sports
Sources
- CBS Sports · Austin Nivison: NCAA approves NFL-style OTAs, schedule and transfer portal window changes for 2027