OXFORD – Not having a spring transfer window does have its perks, according to Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding.
As of September, college football did away with its spring transfer portal window, meaning the only time to enter the portal and transfer without penalty would be from Jan. 2-11. While rosters could previously undergo major reconstruction after spring football practices ended – according to ESPN, more than 1,100 FBS scholarship players entered the transfer portal during the 2025 spring window, which spanned from April 16-25 – things are a bit more settled in now because of less player movement.
Golding is on board with having a lone transfer period. Here were his comments from Tuesday’s media availability:
“I’m a fan of whatever they put in place. I’m not getting into what my thoughts are. I think whatever the rules are at that point, that’s what we have to work under and we have to try to do it better than anyone else. Once they went to one, then obviously you need to kind of have your roster in place as far as from a depth standpoint. I think that was the biggest thing, that the old spring portal allowed you to do, if there was injuries or you took a guy that wasn’t who you thought he was, then you had the opportunity.
“But I love the fact of, there’s not another period here where we’re negotiating and super concerned on losing players that you invested a lot in this short to the season. So, I’m a fan of it, obviously, but it did make sure that you really had to do a great job not only in the portal but also in your high school guys – who could we get in here early, as far as getting in in spring and seeing what they have so we have a good plan. …
“What I think it also allowed us to do is be a little more real during spring ball. I think last year, you’re really worried about, how do you manage the roster? And you’re not doing depth charts and all those things because a guy could get pissed off and leave at the end of April if he’s not thinking he’s the guy. So, it’s allowed them to self-assess a little bit and do a better job grading and tell them exactly where they’re at and this is what they have to improve on because you know they can’t go anywhere, which I think is really important for everybody. So, I’m a fan of it.”
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