Short-Term Signee: Early enrollees entering transfer portal

For the first time since the advent of the NCAA Transfer Portal, recruits in the 2024 class who had signed and enrolled at a school — with some participating in bowl practices — have already entered the portal before the recruiting cycle even ended.

On3 has introduced the designation of ‘Short-Term Signee’ for such prospects, who sign during the Early Signing Period in December and enroll early at one school, then opt to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal before the next signing period in February begins.

Those prospects will be removed from the recruiting class of the school they initially signed and enrolled with, and will now be counted as part of their new program’s recruiting class instead of its transfer portal haul.

This phenomenon is only likely to increase, as the College Football Playoff’s expansion to 12 teams in 2024-25 will push the coaching carousel even further out into January. In the 2024 cycle, the retirement of Alabama head coach Nick Saban caused a ripple effect, which included Crimson Tide early enrollees Julian Sayin and Jameer Grimsley entering the portal.

When Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer left Seattle to for the Alabama job, Huskies enrollee Paki Finau entered the portal. And when Arizona’s Jedd Fisch left to replace DeBoer at Washington, Wildcats’ four-star quarterback enrollee Demond Williams entered the portal to follow him up there.

As the CFP stretches into late January beginning next season, there’s a good chance more situations like these take place as the coaching carousel whirs on.

More prospects joining bowl practices after graduation

Another significant factor is the growing number of mid-year enrollees who are opting to join their schools for bowl practices and are thus already admitted to the university. Under NCAA Bylaw 14.2.1.1, enrollees are permitted to practice with their team ahead of the bowl game and can even suit up for the game, though they can’t play.

That comes with the caveats that the player has been accepted by the institution for enrollment for full-time enrollment at the university and has graduated from their previous institution.

Among the top-flight recruits to do that in the 2024 class were Sayin, Georgia five-star enrollees Justin Williams and Ellis Robinson, along with a growing list of others. Last cycle, Tennessee quarterback signee Nico Iamaleava was among a few who did the same, joining the Vols’ bowl practices in December after he had graduated from high school.

The practice of having players enroll as early as they do could complicate matters though, as coaching changes and the NCAA Transfer Portal make December and January the most chaotic time in the college football schedule.