The spring transfer portal window is no more, per a Wednesday report from On3. A major change to the transfer cycle, the shift to a single window was approved by the NCAA Division I Administration Committee.
Henceforth, the new, sole portal period will be in January. Earlier this month, the NCAA Football Oversight Committee voted to support it. Further modifications to the transfer portal rules that were given the green light Wednesday will not eliminate the opportunity for players to transfer if their head coach is fired and/or departs the program (such as Nick Saban’s retirement in 2024).
Alabama did not lose a single scholarship player to the transfer portal this past spring, but did make additions during that stage of the offseason, including multiple tight ends. As such, roster cohesion was strong for the Crimson Tide going into year two of the Kalen DeBoer era.
The spring window was previously one of the predominant factors in schools opting not to host full-blown scrimmages at the end of spring practice. Doing so while such events were broadcast for all to see opened teams’ rosters for any other interested schools, such that (for example) young players buried on the depth chart at a major program could instead opt to jump ship for immediate playing time and other opportunities.
DeBoer and his staff did choose to go along with that emerging trend this past April. Upon the conclusion of its spring practice period, Alabama did not host a traditional A-Day game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, instead holding an open practice which was not televised.
That in and of itself was a further change from DeBoer’s first offseason as the Alabama coach in 2024, when the Crimson Tide changed its A-Day format from a regular game to an offense-vs.-defense setup. The decision to conduct the 2025 event as purely a practice was not sudden.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether Wednesday’s decision on spring-portal transfers is going to bring back spring games of the fully-fledged variety. There are other reasons coaches might opt against having them, such as injuries both from the end of the previous season and those incurred during the offseason.
The Crimson Tide’s 2025 A-Day practice was not, however, met with significant fan interest. Attendance in Tuscaloosa was well down from the preceding year; although there were big rule changes, A-Day 2024 maintained the character and playing style of an actual football game.
