Noticed players still hitting the transfer portal? Seems a little late in the year, no?
Despite the winter transfer portal closing for Kentucky football, and all other teams, on December 28, players have still found ways to enter the portal and sign with new teams.
How? By taking advantage of a number of loopholes to continue to enter.
For one, December 28 is a soft deadline. Schools have up to 48 hours to process all requests to transfer, meaning underclassmen who filed on or before the 28 could have entered the portal as late as December 30.
Related: Hardley Gilmore could return to Kentucky
Also, those on teams playing in bowl games are given extra time to enter the portal. Those players playing in the College Football Playoff or other bowl games are given a five-day window after each to enter the portal.
So, a player playing in the National Championship on January 20 would have until January 25 to enter the portal.
Other more specific exemptions apply. If a head coach is fired, players are given a 30-day window at any point in the year (except during the regular season) to enter the portal. This was seen with Alabama and Nick Saban last year, as the Crimson Tide had a flurry of portal entries after the legendary head coach’s unexpected retirement late last January.
Graduate transfers are also able to enter the portal at any time, regardless of whether the winter and spring windows are open.
The next transfer portal window opens on April 16 and runs until April 25.