There's simply no question that the NCAA transfer portal has been a bit of a mess in recent years. What has made things so strange is that in addition to the winter option for playmakers to leave their respective schools, the spring portal has added extra drama that no one has wanted.
We saw that first hand for Tennessee football earlier this year, with the Nico Iamaleava transfer turning the football world upside down. Could those kinds of issues for Josh Heupel and the rest of college football be a thing of the past moving forward?
That could end up being the case. On Thursday, college insider Ross Dellenger reported that the NCAA Football Oversight Committee approved a vote for a 'single transfer portal' for the winter in January. If this does end up passing, a 10-day window would start on Jan. 2 for guys to find new homes:
The NCAA FB Oversight Committee voted today to support a single transfer portal in January, sources tell @YahooSports, ushering in a significant change.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 4, 2025
The Administrative Committee still needs to formally adopt the change later. The 10-day window is expected to open Jan. 2.
The NCAA could end up only having one transfer portal in the winter moving forward
This will still need to be approved by the Administrative Committee as Dellenger noted, but it sure seems like the wheels are going to be in motion here. Having one transfer portal window open is what plenty of people have been calling for, including Tennessee fans.
Hypothetically, this could cause some issues, however, as it could put teams in the College Football Playoff at a bit of a disadvantage as they prepare for trying to reach the National Championship Game. For now, we're all going to be in wait-and-see mode to see if things are finalized.
The spring portal this past offseason was downright eye-opening, with Iamaleava headlining things. While that was a bummer, it opened the door for Joey Aguilar to enter the portal himself and make the move from UCLA to Tennessee. The 'trade' of sorts has proven to be a blessing for the Vols.
Aguilar is coming off a dream debut for Tennessee, while Iamaleava had a Week 1 to forget with the Bruins. Having the portal open in early January feels like it would make the most sense for everyone involved. Having another one set for the spring only adds extra stress on coaches and there's the argument that players themselves are illegally tampered with for big paydays. This new plan from the NCAA would help prevent things from happening like that so consistently.