West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez has made it clear that he supports transitioning the college game to more of an NFL-style model.
That includes limiting the current two transfer portal windows to one in order to cut down on the current unlimited free agency during those periods.
"At least then, you have an idea what your roster is," Rodriguez explained during the spring.
It’s a sentiment that is shared by college coaches across the country and it’s more than just talk. At the 2025 American Football Coaches Association convention, coaches endorsed the move to a single portal window from Jan. 2 through Jan. 12, starting for the 2025-26 academic year.
That has yet to be formally adopted as it runs through the process but the intentions of the coaches are clear. And it’s continued to be a hot-button issue this spring.
Kansas head coach Lance Leipold addressed the issue this week.
“As coaches, we unanimously support one portal window, and that is in January,” Leipold said. “So, what we'd like, why January? We just feel it still it's a tough thing with calendars right now, where it goes and a chance to get your team settled. You're signing most of you guys in December. You know what your roster will be like to start the second semester, and you have the opportunity to work and develop and build those relationships and evaluate your team and get ready for the next season.”
The reasoning is obvious, as it would not only help preserve the current bowl season, where several teams were affected by the number of available players but provide some guardrails to a system that has become difficult for college coaches to navigate.
Under the current system, there are two separate windows in the winter and then the spring, which has made it difficult for coaches to even understand what they have on their rosters. The fear of poaching has become so great that teams have even gone as far to limit or completely cancel spring games.
"We discussed the portal with the coaches. We know what their preference is and we’ll discuss that amongst the Power Four commissioners here shortly but I advocate for their position. They want a January portal," Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said.
It wouldn’t be the first time that the transfer portal has been adjusted as the windows were shortened, but finding a solution to this issue is one that seems to be at the forefront of all coaches involved.
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