Kirby Smart Has Never Been This Clear on Transfer Portal After Demanding Answers From NCAA

Well, the NCAA transfer portal has completely changed the game in CFB, giving players more freedom and control over their careers. Since 2018, athletes have been able to move between schools without sitting out, sparking a surge of player movement and turning the portal into a key tool for roster building. Now, a substantial injection of experience came from transfers, as Power 4 programs gained over 13,000 career starts and over 930,000 snaps in the 2025 offseason. And Georgia, under Kirby Smart, has mastered this system.

Yes, the Bulldogs’ smart, strategic use of the portal has kept them at the top of the SEC, blending new talent seamlessly into a winning formula. But then, Smart’s push for fewer transfer windows also mirrors a growing SEC consensus, aiming to make the process simpler and more predictable for teams and players alike. So here’s a polished version.

On September 5, during an appearance on Georgia Bulldogs Athletics, ‘Voice of the Dawgs’, Scott Howard asked Kirby Smart about the new transfer portal rules, whose 10-day window is expected to open January 2. “Would you consider it a good move if they reduced it to just one 10-day portal for the entire year?” Smart didn’t hold back. “I mean, it’s good and bad. It goes back to, I think, everybody assumes coaches want one. Players or recruits want two. I don’t know if that it’s completely beneficial for anybody. I would vote based on the circumstances on having one and having it on that date,” he said. But that’s not all.

Coach Smart highlighted the challenge of timing the transfer portal. Look, coaches wanted it outside the playing season, and he agreed, but the academic calendar makes that nearly impossible. Even if the season wrapped up before the portal opened, players would still move; it’s inevitable. And by the time the window arrives, almost every team has finished its season, with maybe four still playing, and Smart hopes Georgia is among them. Because while the timing isn’t perfect, it represents a compromise that works for the majority of programs. Now, despite the challenges, Smart sees the single-window approach as a necessary fix.

Here, Smart admitted that being one of the few teams still playing when the portal opens can create major distractions. Then he emphasized that until the season is adjusted, perhaps by starting with a week zero to finish earlier, it’s difficult to avoid conflicts. So, “The fix is having one portal,” he said, highlighting the need for clarity and structure. Now, with the second spring window gone, teams must be strategic, carefully assessing who might leave and who they want to bring in. And here, Kirby Smart is calling for clear answers from the NCAA.

Kirby Smart talking about being strategic only reminds us of the 2024–2025 offseason, where Georgia was hit hard, with 17 players heading to the transfer portal. Big names like QB Carson Beck (Miami), LB Damon Wilson II (Missouri), and CB Julian Humphrey (Texas A&M) were among the departures. Besides this, Anthony Evans III, Troy Bowles, Marques Easley, and Nitro Tuggle also moved on, leaving noticeable gaps. But Kirby Smart acted fast. He brought in game-changing talent like WR Zachariah Branch from USC, keeping the Bulldogs sharp and loaded with experience. So, even amid the shakeup, Georgia remains a powerhouse in the SEC, proving Smart’s roster strategy is anything but ordinary.

Kirby Smart pushes for clarity

Although an air of uncertainty hangs over CFB, for SEC coaches, one issue dominates: the transfer portal. Here, Georgia’s Kirby Smart made it clear that clarity is crucial. “So, the biggest decision that has to be made across football right now, to me, by far, is when is the portal window and is there one or two,” stated Smart. Now, with two NCAA transfer windows, one in December and another in April, coaches want a single, well-timed portal that fits both the academic calendar and recruiting schedule. Given that, Smart warned that a spring window could create chaos.

The reason? Players eager to transfer wouldn’t just wait; they’d start exploring options months in advance, disrupting teams midseason. “You think tampering is a problem? Put that portal in April and see what teams do in January, February, and March,” said Smart, stressing the need for predictability and fairness for programs and players. Following that, support is growing across the SEC for a January portal.

And SEC commissioner Greg Sankey confirmed the consensus: Coaches favor one window early in the year. Here’s why? Smart noted past frustrations with the portal open during the CFP, calling it “really hard to be playing in a championship setting and having to deal with that.” Now, with the future of CFB in flux, SEC coaches are clear: they want answers.