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Ryan Day doesn't hold back on potential transfer portal change

Ryan Day did not agree with the NCAA's proposal to compress college football's transfer portal.
Patrick Previty|
Ohio State coach Ryan Day
Ohio State coach Ryan Day | Lori Schmidt / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State coach Ryan Day did not agree with the NCAA's proposal to compress college football's transfer portal into a single, 10-day January window, arguing it unfairly burdens College Football Playoff teams and collides with recruiting and roster decisions.

"No. I don’t think it’s a good idea at all," Day said Tuesday. "In the conversations we've had with the Big Ten coaches, I think the majority of them agree. I just don't quite understand how teams that are playing in the playoff are expected to make the decisions and sign their upcoming players while also getting ready to play for games."

Day added that Big Ten leadership has a different timing in mind. "I know the calendar is funky, but... [commissioner] Tony Petitti... doesn't believe in it either. We've had a lot of long discussions... but I don't agree with it being in January," he said. Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork has publicly favored a spring window that aligns with the end of the academic year and new revenue-sharing contracts.

The NCAA's FBS Oversight Committee voted last week to support moving to one winter portal opening from Jan. 2-11 while eliminating the spring period and making December a recruiting dead period. The change requires approval from the Division I Administrative Committee, with a vote expected before Oct. 1. If adopted, it would start with the 2025-26 cycle. Last season’s winter window ran Dec. 9-28 and the spring window April 16-25. If implemented, the portal would open one day after the CFP quarterfinals, with semifinals on Jan. 9-10 and the title game Jan. 20. "It doesn’t make any sense to me," he said.

Texas' Steve Sarkisian and LSU's Brian Kelly have come out in favor of a January-only window. In 2024, the NCAA also cut football's total portal access from 45 days to 30. The Administrative Committee will decide whether to finalize the change before October. If it passes, schools would navigate an early January market and Playoff teams would do so while still chasing a championship, which is the scenario Day says the sport should avoid.

Ryan Day
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Patrick Previty
PATRICK PREVITY

In addition to writing for On SI, Patrick is also a site expert for Canes Warning and has previously written for outlets such as Betsided, Orlando Magic Daily and Southbound and Down. He serves as a sideline reporter for ESPN+, covering UCF athletics and the Big 12 Conference. In 2024, he hosted a live, on-site UCF football pregame show that aired on ESPN+. Patrick has interviewed numerous figures in the college sports world, ranging from players to UCF’s athletic director. Recently, he traveled to Mobile, Ala., to cover the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he spoke with multiple NFL Draft prospects. Patrick also hosts coverage of the Orlando Magic for Digest Media on YouTube and has become one of the leading voices on the team in the region. Patrick also helps run the social media department for The Voice of College Football Network, focusing on breaking news and digital storytelling. Patrick previously spent time at CNN in the sports department, where he assisted with CNN’s World Sport show and Bleacher Report updates for morning programming. Hailing from the Tampa Bay Area, Patrick is a lifelong fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning, Orlando Magic and UCF Knights.

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