Apr 02, 2026
3 min read
The rule, effective immediately, is intended to stop "ghost transfers," when athletes leave one school and enroll at another.
The NCAA Division I cabinet on Wednesday approved major penalties, including head coach suspensions and football budget fines, for programs that seek to circumvent the transfer portal by adding players outside the designated window.
FBS programs that add or sign waived players past the trade window will suspend their head coach for six games, which is half of the regular season.This suspension includes bans from all football activities (enforcement, training on the field) and administrative duties (team meetings).
In addition, schools that violate the rule are fined 20 percent of their football budget, regardless of whether the head coach was still employed at the school at the time of the violation.
The rule, effective immediately and retroactive to Feb. 25 when the FBS Oversight Committee recommended changes, aims to stop "phantom transfers," where athletes leave one school and enroll at another without entering the transfer portal.The technique, which was not previously banned, was used by defensive back Xavier Lucas, who transferred from Wisconsin to Miami, and defensive back Jake Retzlaff, who transferred from BYU to Tulane last season.
The rule gained momentum as programs wondered what would happen this offseason without another portal window.Since college football first introduced transfer windows in the 2022-23 offseason, there was a winter and spring window, but this year the NCAA is eliminating the spring window.This year's winter transfer window opened on January 2 and closed on January 16. Exceptions to head coach changes outside the portal window remain.
"I am grateful that the D-I Board of Governors approved the recommendations of the FBS Review Committee to impose significant penalties on head coaches and programs that circumvent the transfer rules, along with immediate accountability," Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea, AFCA president, said in a statement.
Without a spring transfer window, many college football general managers and personnel directors who spoke with The Athletic suggested that players and teams use the blind trade method to switch teams after spring training if players are unhappy with their place on the depth chart or teams see positions unfilled in January.But Wednesday's move appears to close that loophole.
"These changes address gaps in transfer policies that have allowed for abuse, but we recognize there is more work to be done," said Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman, D-I Cabinet Chair.Act."
How effective is this rule in preventing non-portal player movement?
The penalties seem to be significant because the new rule will prevent most programs from trying to add undrafted players to their roster.Of course, there is always a chance that the school will try to sue the NCAA and challenge the rule in court.The players are not yet recognized as employees, and as long as they remain, the restriction of movement - this rule is an indirect action - is a matter of loyalty.Entering another is an old school practice, and while this rule does not penalize the player, the major penalties imposed on the player's new team are well worth the challenge.
Until then, most coaches and front offices are likely content with the rule change.Most FBS coaches have pushed for a single window so they can adjust their rosters and not worry about player moves in the spring.The rule change now codifies that most transfers signed in January stay with their teams for the rest of the calendar year.
The rule does not directly address the problem of grand corruption.As a rule, schools are prohibited from contacting other team players unless they are in the portal.But coaches and personnel acknowledge that the NCAA's intervention has been largely fruitless.The rule limits that it applies to potential spring transfers.There is still a long way to go before a true portal window.Several coaches and GMs admitted to The Athletic last year that talks between teams and players' agents were ongoing in December — and in some cases, deals were actually done — even before the portal opened on Jan. 2.
Central to Wednesday's announcement was that the NCAA's Violation Procedures Task Force is reviewing the violation procedure and penalties for violations of NCAA rules, including enforcement and penalties related to fraud.
Where do they turn when teams need to fill late roster needs?
With Division I players out of the question (with FBS and FCS in the January window), the team could move to Division II.There are no windows in Division II, only a deadline by which a player must enter the portal by June 15. The junior ranks, which have been largely undefined for the past eight years, could also be where schools turn to fill spring needs.
