A new proposal circulating among coaches aims to expand spring practice into NFL-style organized team activities (OTAs), in response to the increase in spring transfers and roster turnover, along with the possibility that college football moves to a single transfer portal window.
The OTA idea, which was formed by the American Football Coaches Association board of trustees last month, is now being socialized at conference spring meetings. It would add six non-padded workouts to the existing 15 spring practices, but those 21 allotted days could be split across two different five-week windows for a total of seven weeks. There must be at least three weeks between the two sessions, which could span from anywhere between January and June.
“If you’re a Clemson who doesn’t lose anybody, you can have a traditional spring and get six extra opportunities in the summer,” said Liberty head coach and AFCA board member Jamey Chadwell. “Or if you’re like us that loses a lot every year and you don’t have the majority of your team until May, then you can practice more in May or June.”
Remaking the spring calendar has been a frequent point of discussion by the sport’s leaders. In January, the AFCA proposed moving from two transfer portal windows in December and April to a single 10-day window in January. The AFCA is not a governing body, but executive director Craig Bohl is a non-voting member of the FBS football oversight committee, which is looking into making the ideas into official proposals.
The oversight committee’s work has been at a standstill for months, waiting for full approval of the House v. NCAA settlement, which would establish a system of revenue sharing with athletes up to a cap of around $20.5 million.
An oversight committee subgroup has been working behind the scenes on the single-window vision for the transfer portal, which could take place as early as January or later in March or April. Coaches and conferences have mixed opinions on the best timing. Some want to have their rosters in place heading into spring. Others don’t want to force players who are disgruntled after spring ball to stick around.
A decision on a single portal window is likely to come before any OTA decision. But the flexibility of the OTAs’ scheduling would help avoid the issue, which is why the AFCA is putting it out before any portal decision is finalized.
“It’s been met with positive appetite from the initial rollouts,” said Bohl, the former head coach at Wyoming and North Dakota State.
College football programs were basically forced into a OTA calendar during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Spring football was pushed back, and COVID restrictions moved schedules around and put more activities outside. Some programs in the ensuing years adjusted their format to match it. This idea could expand the concept.
“It certainly helped me,” Bohl said of the 2020 experience. “What became apparent was you had to look at preparing a team differently because of the restraints. We saw great value in taking guys out on the field for a learning experience. Our world’s changing, the schedule’s have changed. Coaches wanted to have a plan to adapt, and we think this addresses it.”
(Photo: Matt King / Getty Images)