How New NCAA Calendar Impacts USC Trojans for Transfer Portal, Practices

The NCAA created a new calendar that'll surely impact how the USC Trojans and others go about their offseason plans.

USC Trojans freshman quarterback Jonas Williams | USC Trojans on SI

The USC Trojans stacked multiple offseason wins from the transfer portal to recruiting, but now a new NCAA proposal revealed on Aug. 28 presents the impact to alter schedules for coach Lincoln Riley, general manager Chad Bowden and the rest of the Trojans. From the transfer portal all the way to how many practices USC and others can have.

The NCAA Proposal Impacting USC, Others

Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley walks the field before the CFP national championship game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Georgia Bulldogs at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Here are the following models that the NCAA is planning to implement, with a final vote expected to come between Oct. 6-7:

Portal window: The transfer portal will still open in January, but operate in a 10-day format and move to the early part of the month. But this moves pushes the start of the college football season even earlier. Plus the proposal eliminates the 15-day portal window.

Practices including spring: The NCAA now says that the new out-of-season activities model would replace the current rules that involve spring and summer activities. Programs, including USC, will now be allowed to conduct two out-of-season practice periods through this proposal. The Trojans and every other program are still bottled to 21 total practices.

Scheduling: Here's a big one involved in the proposal. Labor Day weekend would no longer serve as the opening week for college football. Granted, Week 0 contests have taken place the week before the September holiday (USC scheduled to face San José State on Aug. 29 of the 2026 season). But now the new NCAA proposal could pit every college program including power conference representatives on the schedule for late August.

USC Trojans general manager Chad Bowden hired from Notre Dame Fighting Irish | USC Trojans Video Youtube

How the Above Proposals Impact USC Trojans

This points to Bowden and the front office needing to work in a tighter window when it comes to identifying portal athletes immediately. With Riley and the coaching staff's help, of course.

USC fans know the Trojans don't shy away from scouring talent in that realm. After all, the school's last Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Caleb Williams came via the portal. Same with USC's current starter behind center Jayden Maiava, who arrived via UNLV. The Trojans also plucked from Big Ten rivals too before the 2026 season, with defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren coming over via Michigan State. Now the front office and the coaching staff are facing have a less-than-two-week portal window if this proposal indeed passes.

But the portal isn't the only area getting potential tightened here. USC will have to devise a new plan where the spring practices could be done earlier than in the past. The Trojans mostly roll out spring ball in April with the spring showcase closer to early May. But this window could see teams including the Trojans push spring practices toward the early part of March, or even closer to the end of February.

USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley, center, runs on to the field for the game against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

This is the latest impactful change USC and others may need to operate under. And this move also comes amid the Big Ten and other conferences dealing with undrafted NFL rookies aiming to gain a fifth season of eligibility amid a judge's order in Louisiana. Except USC's conference joined others in prohibiting past NFL tryout players from returning to school.

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