The NCAA Division I Council announced Wednesday that it has reduced the December transfer portal notification window for football from 45 days to 30.

Under the new rule, athletes must provide their current school with notification they intend to transfer within 30 days of the Monday following the FBS conference championship games in early December. Players on teams who participate in the College Football Playoff will receive an additional five days at the end of the December transfer window.

The 15-day spring window, which runs from April 15-30, will remain as is (making the “transfer window” a total of 45 days). It’s important to note that athletes are not required to choose a new school within the 15- or 30-day window; they must only notify their current school they plan to leave.

Graduate transfers transferring for the first time face a May 1 notification deadline in football and basketball, and July 1 in spring sports.

“We are pleased the student-athlete voice was acknowledged and emphasized as part of the conversation about amending transfer windows,” said Cody Shimp, chair of the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. “We are happy that the council was able to find common ground and push forward a 45-day window to continue to provide a reasonable period of time for student-athletes to make rational and informed decisions about their athletic and academic futures.”

The transfer portal window in men’s and women’s basketball has been reduced from 60 to 45 days. That window opens the Monday after Selection Sunday for the NCAA tournament, which is typically the second full week of March.

“In both men’s and women’s basketball, the council determined that a 45-day window that concludes on or before May 1 best enables coaches to understand their current rosters, provides stability for student-athletes remaining at the school as they prepare for summer basketball, and encourages student-athletes who intend to transfer to do so before final exams at their current schools and summer school application deadlines at most campuses,” said Lynda Tealer, chair of the council and deputy athletics director at Florida.

“Moving forward, we will continue to evaluate the impact of transfer windows on student-athletes, coaches and athletics programs.”

• There were two other notable changes adopted by the D1 council, one involving recruiting and the other in regard to spring football.

The NCAA has permanently done away with the 25-player signing class (AKA, initial counter limit) scholarship limit at the FBS level, which had been suspended since 2021 as a result of COVID. The FCS limit of 30 initial counters has also been eliminated.

In addition, teams may no longer practice in full pads during spring practice. Equipment for spring practice is limited to helmets and “spider pads” (AKA shells).