How NCAA's one-time transfer window impacts Utah football

Utes are currently exceeding the roster limitation implemented by the House settlement — but the NCAA has provided an outlet for relief

The Utah Utes run out on the field before the game against the Baylor Bears at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

A new transfer portal window is opening up later this summer.

The NCAA Committee on Legislative Relief has issued a waiver to permit players placed on a "designated student-athlete" list to enter a one-time portal window open from July 7-Aug. 5, according to Yahoo! Sports' Ross Dellenger.

Players put on a "designated student-athlete" list are exempt from roster limitations implemented by the House settlement. In late June, the NCAA announced that Division I programs will no longer include sport-specific scholarship limits and will instead follow new roster guidelines as part of the multi-billion-dollar arrangement that will also introduce revenue sharing to college athletics this upcoming season.

A school can place a player on a "designated student-athlete" list if they would have been removed from the school's 2025-26 roster due to new roster limits; were an eligible member of a team in 2024-25 or were recruited and assured a 2025-26 roster spot by a different school. There's no limit to how many athletes a school can designate, and players will always have the "designated student-athlete" tag for the remainder of their careers.

Football rosters can increase from 85 to 105 players starting with the 2025-26 season. While that's good news for walk-ons looking to earn a scholarship, the new roster limit is down from the previous allowance of 120 players on a football roster (scholarship and walk-ons included).

The Utah football program currently has 111 players on its roster, which means the Utes will need to be a little thinner by the time their season-opener against UCLA rolls around on Aug. 30. Teams must finalize their full rosters no later than the day before their first contest. Division I programs aren't allowed to reduce or cancel a player's athletically related financial aid to create roster size.

Schools that need to submit student-athletes to a "designated student-athlete" list are able to do so until July 6.

College football has two main transfer portal windows: one in the winter and one in the spring. This past season's winter cycle opened from Dec. 9-Dec. 28, followed by the spring cycle from April 16-April 25.