when does the college football transfer portal open

The college football transfer portal now opens once a year on January 2 and the window runs through January 16 for FBS and FCS players, starting with the 2026 cycle.

Current portal window

• The NCAA approved a single winter transfer window for college football, eliminating the previous spring window.

• Beginning with the 2025–26 offseason, that window is set for January 2–16 each year.

How it works

• Players must have their name entered in the portal during the Jan 2–16 window to be eligible to transfer, but they can choose and enroll at a new school later.

• Media and trackers describe the portal as “officially open” at midnight ET on January 2, with coverage of entries and commitments continuing throughout the 15-day period.

Related timing and tweaks

• The new timing aligns the window to open just after the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, aiming to reduce overlap with late-season games and bowl prep.

• For teams that reach the national championship game, players will get an extra short window after their season ends to enter the portal, on top of the standard Jan 2–16 period.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.