The 2024 college football transfer portal will open for the spring transfer window on April 16 and run through April 30. Collectives and coaches are adjusting accordingly for college football’s second period of free agency.
Here’s a quick guide of everything you need to know ahead of college football’s spring transfer portal window.
When Does The Transfer Portal Open?
The transfer portal will open on Tuesday, April 16 and run for two weeks through Tuesday, April 30. Initially the NCAA set the spring transfer window to open May 1. But the NCAA later amended it to trigger in April.
Teams will be able to host recruits on visits throughout the spring window as it’s a contact period. The winter window rules were far stricter in that regard. Fifteen of the 30 days the portal was open in the winter were dead, which means schools are not allowed to make in-person recruiting contact.
Who Can Transfer?
Anybody can transfer!
Unlike when the last portal window opened, all players are now eligible to transfer thanks to a court injunction back in December that cleared the way for multi-time transfers to move on from their schools without having to sit a year-in-residence penalty. Previously underclassmen were only allowed to transfer once without penalty. Now, at least through the 2023-24 academic calendar year, players are allowed to transfer in unlimited fashion and still retain their eligibility for the 2024 season.
That’s how the Kadyn Proctor situation will play out once he officially enters the transfer portal and likely rejoins Alabama. The previous rules would have kept him at Iowa – or at least made him think twice about transferring for a second time – now all multi-time transfers are allowed to move without restriction.
Are There Any Transfer Restrictions?
The main rule to know is in the SEC, which limits intraconference transfers. Any player who wishes to transfer within the SEC must enter the portal by the end of the winter window. So, any SEC player who enters this spring will be restricted from transferring to another SEC school.
Can Players Enter The Transfer Portal Outside The Spring Window?
There are several exceptions that would allow a player to do so. Graduate transfers can enter the portal whenever they’d like without restriction, including into the summer. The NCAA also grants a 30-day immediate portal window for players whose head coach leaves the program. So, if a head coach steps down in June, a transfer window immediately triggers.
