Division I cabinet changes transfer portal windows for basketball and some other sports

Florida Oklahoma Basketball Florida guard Xaivian Lee (1) shoots against Oklahoma forward Kuol Atak (22) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Gerald Leong) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Gerald Leong/AP)

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — The transfer portal for men's and women's basketball will open the day after the championship game for both NCAA Tournaments for a period of 15 days.

The NCAA Division I Cabinet approved changes Wednesday to the window for athletes to transfer in several sports including men's wrestling, men's ice hockey and men's and women's track and field under changes recommended by the oversight committees for each sport.

The changes are effective immediately.

The 15-day period for transfers after a head coaching change starts five days after a new coach is hired or publicly announced. If the new head coach is not announced within 30 days of the last coach's departure, the transfer window opens on the 31st day.

Midyear basketball transfers will not be eligible to compete at a second school if they enrolled at an NCAA school during the first academic term whether they competed there or not.

Wrestling

For men's wrestling, the transfer window will be 30 days starting April 1. That's a cut from 45 days after selections for the Division I championships.

Ice hockey

The transfer window will be 15 days for men's ice hockey and starts the Monday after the Division I championship game. For coaching changes, a 15-day portal opens five days after the new coach is announced or 31 days after the coach's departure if the replacement is not announced.

The cabinet asked the women's ice hockey committee to consider support for similar changes for Division I athletes.

The transfer window after the indoor track and field season has been removed. The 30-day window still will open the day after selections for the Division I men's and women's outdoor track and field championships along with the window at the end of fall.

Acrobatics

The cabinet also unanimously voted to create National Collegiate Championships in acrobatics and tumbling and in stunt. Divisions II and III still must approve the championships at business sessions Friday for final approval.

Flag football

Women's flag football was approved for the emerging sports for women program, and schools sponsoring the spring this spring will count toward the requirement that 40 schools sponsor the sport and meet the minimums to be considered for an NCAA championship.

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