The changes are not final. The Division I Cabinet must approve them at its scheduled October 6-7, 2026, meeting before the legislation can take effect.

Transfer-notification period would shrink to 10 days

Under the proposal, the January notification-of-transfer period would be reduced from 15 days to 10 days. It would begin on the first business day after January 1, with the change taking effect January 1, 2027, if the Cabinet approves the legislation.

The proposal concerns the time athletes have to notify their schools of a transfer. Based on the NCAA’s announcement, it does not change transfer eligibility, scholarship rules or roster limits.

New model for spring and summer football

The committee also approved a new out-of-season activities model that would replace the current rules on spring practices and summer activities.

FBS schools would be allowed to hold two out-of-season practice periods totaling 21 on-field practices. Together, the periods could not last more than seven weeks, and neither individual period could exceed five weeks.

Schools would also have to designate at least nine discretionary or voluntary weeks during which required athletically related activities would not be permitted. The structure would give programs more scheduling flexibility while preserving periods when athletes are not subject to required athletic activities.

The NCAA said the work grew from recommendations developed with the American Football Coaches Association and a calendar subgroup that included athletics directors, coaches, student-athletes and conference commissioners. Comments from committee and coaching representatives described the proposed model as more flexible, but those statements are attributed views from participants in the process rather than independent findings.

Preseason and 2027 season schedule would change

For the 2027 season, the proposed preseason practice period would cover 27 calendar days and include 21 practices. The NCAA said the shorter preseason would be supported by additional practice opportunities during the spring and summer under the proposed out-of-season model.

The regular season would also begin on the Thursday currently designated as Week 0 and end on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. If approved and implemented, that would allow the FBS season to begin earlier in 2027. It would not guarantee that every school plays on the first available date; individual schedules and implementation details would still matter.

What happens next

The Division I Cabinet’s October 6-7, 2026, meeting is the next major decision point. The Cabinet could approve, modify, reject or delay the proposals.

Until that review is complete and the NCAA implements any resulting legislation, schools, players and fans should treat the changes as proposals rather than binding rules. If approved, players weighing a January transfer would have five fewer notification days, coaches and athletic departments would receive a different framework for out-of-season work, and fans could see the 2027 FBS season begin earlier than under the current calendar.

Sources

• NCAA calendar announcement
• CBS Sports calendar report