For the current 2025–26 cycle, the football transfer portal “open” window is 15 days, from January 2 through January 16, 2026, for FBS and FCS players to enter their names.

What “open” actually means

  • The portal being open refers to the period when players are allowed to enter the database and officially declare their intent to explore a transfer.
  • Once a player is in the portal, coaches can recruit them and the player can commit or enroll beyond the window; the deadline is about entering , not about completing the move.

2026 football dates

  • For the 2026 offseason, the single football transfer window runs January 2–16, 2026, creating a 15‑day entry period.
  • Some reporting also notes a short extra 5‑day period later in January for certain postseason participants, effectively extending opportunities for those athletes a bit beyond the main window.

No more spring window

  • The NCAA has eliminated the separate spring transfer window in football, so this January window is the only standard time players can newly enter the portal for the 2025–26 academic year.
  • This change is intended to increase roster stability , giving coaches a clearer picture of their teams after the January period closes.

How long can a player stay in?

  • Rules focus on when athletes enter the portal; there is no hard cap stating they must leave the portal by a certain date once they are in.
  • Practically, most transfers decide and enroll by late winter or early summer because of scholarship limits, class start dates, and team workouts.

Bottom line: the portal is “open” for entry for 15 days (Jan 2–16, 2026) in football, but the actual transfer process and commitments can continue after that as long as the player entered during that window.

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