The NCAA Division I Cabinet on Friday endorsed in concept a proposal from the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee that would prescribe significant penalties for programs found to have circumvented the sport's notification-of-transfer window. The Cabinet also endorsed the application of the concept to all sports.
If the proposal is ultimately adopted in its current form by the Cabinet — expected to take place no later than April — significant penalties would be imposed on programs if a student-athlete transfers from another NCAA school without first being entered into the Transfer Portal and then participates in athletically related activities and the next school.
The proposal submitted by the FBSOC includes the following suggested penalties:
- The head coach would be prohibited from all coaching, recruiting and administrative duties (team meetings) for six contests.
- The school would be fined 20% of its football budget.
- The school would be required to reduce the number of roster spots by five for the next season, regardless of the head coach's employment status at the school.
While the cabinet broadly supported the concept and intent of the proposal, it debated some of the specific measures. The cabinet expects to revisit the topic and address specific penalties for sports other than football prior to a vote on the proposal.
The cabinet also signaled that it would consider the proposed rule change's effective date — if adopted — to be Feb. 25, 2026, which was the date the oversight committee formally introduced the proposal. Therefore, the penalties would apply to any sports program to which a student-athlete transfers without entering the portal and then participates in athletically related activities at the new school on and after that date.
