Matt Rhule reacts to NCAA passing one-time transfer portal window, wishes it had been in spring

On Wednesday, the NCAA officially eliminated the spring transfer portal window in college football. Earlier this month, the NCAA Football Oversight Committee voted to eliminate the dual-transfer window system.

However, the change had to be approved by the NCAA Division I Administration Committee. While there will only be one window moving forward, it’s unclear when that window will be. The Division I Football Oversight Committee initially recommended a 10-day portal between Jan. 2 and Jan. 11.

However, many coaches have taken issue with this proposal. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule weighed in on the change.

“It needed to go to one,” Rhule said. “You would negotiate with a player — and all power to the players — but you would negotiate with a player in December, January, and then have to renegotiate three months later when there’s you haven’t done anything. That doesn’t happen in the NFL. It should be once a year, you make a decision, and then you play that year out.

“I, and most of the Big Ten coaches, wanted it in April or May because we pay the guys July 1 to June 30. In the NFL, like the league year ends, you get paid for the year. In college football, we’re going to have players getting paid by two different teams in the same year. It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Last season, there were two windows: a 20-day period in December and a 10-day period in April. Coaches complained the December window led to too many players leaving their respective teams before the season was officially over.

Teams like Marshall witnessed this firsthand when it couldn’t field enough players to play in its bowl game. Consequently, the Sun Belt Conference fined the Thundering Herd $100,000.

On the other hand, coaches claim allows players to learn about their team’s schemes, only to take them to an opposing program. Although Matt Rhule has previously been one of these coaches, he’d rather have the one transfer window in late spring.

“But, I would have had the portal in the middle of September, for all I care, to get one portal. It’s better for the players,” Rhule said. “They don’t need to be transferring twice or in the spring. I just think it’s way better, but I would have done it in May.

“The playoffs should never be touched by players saying to themselves, ‘Am I staying? Am I going?’ Last year, Penn State’s backup quarterback left in the middle of a playoff run because he had do what was right for him… Those things shouldn’t happen, in my opinion, with the portal. But some really powerful coaches wanted it in January. And, no one asked me.”