For ‘Power’ conferences and teams carrying aspirations to win a national title, the Marshall Thundering Herd, a Sun Belt team, carries little to no weight in the bigger scheme of things. But they might have been the reason why the NCAA has come in with a major decision after the team opted out of their 2024 season’s bowl game against Army. For one, the team had 36 players transfer listed before the game, including the Thundering Herd’s three quarterbacks. Moreover, Marshall had also lost its head coach, Charles Huff, after he left following the breakdown of negotiations regarding his contract. The Bowl snub was unexpected, as it forced even Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill to apologize in a statement “for the turmoil.” But what does Marshall, a G-5 team, have to do with the Buckeyes or Ryan Day?

That Bowl snub wasn’t necessarily the main reason why the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee voted this Thursday for a single 10-day transfer window in January in a season, but it showed the far-reaching consequences of the December portal, especially for the lower-ranked teams. The decision seems final as of now, considering FBS coaches have voted unanimously for the proposal, and it just needs the Division I Administrative Committee’s approval before October 1st. Another aspect of the proposal is to avoid Marshall-like situations and potentially control the movement of players, destabilizing rosters. However, Ryan Day isn’t happy.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea at all… In the conversations we had with the Big Ten coaches, I think the majority of them agree — I just don’t quite understand how teams that are playing in the playoffs are expected to make the decisions and sign their upcoming players while they’re still getting ready to play games. It doesn’t make any sense to me,” said Ryan Day. Surely for teams with no ‘natty’ hopes, the decision is as feasible as it can be, but for teams like Ohio State, it does present a whole new conundrum.’

Apart from the proposed changes in the transfer portal window, the NCAA has also proposed making December a “dead period” for recruiting, disabling coaches from hosting recruits on or off campus. Instead, the NCAA has proposed the period between January 5th to 31st where coaches can “evaluate prospects.” For teams like Marshall, this would surely be the period when their offseason starts benefiting them with the early transfer and recruiting window. But for Ohio State, this is the time when the most important games happen: playoffs and potentially the national title game!! 

Last season, the Buckeyes played their semifinal against Texas on the 10th, while playing the national title game on January 21st. This year, too, the semifinals will be held on Jan 9th -10th, with the national title game being set on Jan 20. So, both, transfer window, coming from January 2nd, as proposed, along with the recruiting window, can give players a chance to jump ship at a crucial juncture. Moreover, this can also lead to divided attention for Ryan Day and other coaches in the semifinals, even though the transfer window will always open after the quarterfinals. However, Day isn’t only raising the concern, he’s also putting solutions in place.

Ryan Day sends an appeal to Big 10 commissioner Tony Petitti

Despite unanimous agreement from the coaches, there has been vocal opposition from the players’ groups and student-athlete advocates. The groups highlight that the shorter 10-period window restricts the players’ autonomy, particularly when they would need spring evaluations before transferring away. This contention thus has the potential to lead to lawsuits from players. And Ryan Day might just capitalize on that sentiment, as he has an appeal for the Big 10 commissioner.

“I know the calendar is funky, but I know that the Big Ten and Tony Petitti have been working hard, because he doesn’t believe it either. The coaches in the Big Ten had a lot of long discussions about that and tried to work through the different windows, but I don’t agree with it being in January,” declared Ryan Day. The verdict?

Apart from Ryan Day and a handful of other coaches and entities, no one seems to be opposing the decision. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) released a statement supporting the proposal unconditionally, arguing that it would lead to fewer disruptions. Even head coaches like Kirby Smart and James Franklin have opposed the December window vigorously, with Smart calling the proposal the “biggest decision” facing the sport. So, it seems Ryan Day is relatively alone in his battle; still, it remains to be seen how all of this plays out as the final approval by the Administrative Committee is still pending. That said, it’s good news for teams like Marshall, who would go into their Bowl games without worrying about players jumping ship!!