As College football adapts itself with massive changes like NIL deals, playoff expansions, and conference realignments, coach Kirby Smart has zeroed in on one issue that he believes overshadows them all: the NCAA transfer portal. Speaking at the SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida, Smart called for urgent clarity on the portal’s future, arguing that its timing and structure are disrupting the sport.
Is Kirby Smart’s Concerns About College Football Transfer Portal Valid?
The NCAA transfer portal, introduced in 2018, allows athletes to switch schools more freely, but its current structure, including two windows, one in December (Dec. 9-28) and one in spring (April 16-25), has created some headaches for coaches and programs.
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The December window overlaps with bowl games and the College Football Playoff, forcing coaches to juggle postseason preparation with roster retention and recruitment. Smart, whose Georgia Bulldogs fell short of expectations in 2024 with a Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame, knows this challenge better than any.
The departure of quarterback Carson Beck to Miami via the portal left Georgia leaning on unproven starter Gunner Stockton, who managed just 10 points in that loss.
Smart argues that the dual-window system destabilizes rosters. According to him, when coaches are trying to prepare for a playoff game, their players are entering the portal, which disrupts their plans and results in a lot of uncertainty. Smart faced this frustration first hand when losing key players mid-postseason.
Smart’s concern resonates across the SEC, where coaches like Texas A&M’s Mike Elko point to professional leagues like the NFL, which use a single free agency period post-season.
A Push for a Single Window
Smart and many SEC coaches favor consolidating the portal into a single January window, a model supported by the American Football Coaches Association earlier this year. This would allow teams to finalize rosters after the season, aligning with the academic calendar and avoiding postseason disruptions.
KEEP READING: Georgia HC Kirby Smart Calls For More Respect for SEC Teams in College Football Playoff
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey noted a “consensus” among his coaches for a January portal, though some administrators prefer a spring window (March or April) to better sync with academic schedules. Smart also threw in the idea of a late spring portal followed by NFL-style OTA practices in June, but he acknowledged that it could cause some potential legal challenges.
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