Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz recently shared his thoughts on the ever-changing college football calendar. He’s been paying close attention to the new transfer portal dates and the removal of the spring portal.
With the Tigers set to wrap up their 2025 regular season against Arkansas, Drinkwitz is clearly thinking hard about ways to make the chaotic schedule easier for everyone. Players, coaches, fans—nobody’s immune to the grind. His perspective sheds some light on what’s not working and where things might go from here.
The Current State of College Football Scheduling
College football’s calendar is, honestly, a mess of overlapping responsibilities. The regular season ends, then comes the early signing period, and right after that, there’s a two-week transfer portal window in January.
If your team is in the College Football Playoff, the season drags into late January. That adds even more layers to the already hectic timeline.
Drinkwitz pointed out that teams have to juggle finals, bowl games, and the start of a new semester—all crammed into these crucial windows. The way the calendar lines up with the academic year just piles on more challenges, especially when it comes to managing rosters and player transitions.
Challenges with the Transfer Portal
The transfer portal used to have two windows: winter and spring. Now, there’s just one in January.
Sure, that makes things simpler in theory, but it also means teams only have a tiny two-week stretch to lock in their 85-man rosters. There’s barely any wiggle room for injuries or unexpected changes during spring practice.
Drinkwitz mentioned that college football isn’t like the pros, where teams can tinker with their rosters all year. Right now, once January passes, teams are stuck with what they’ve got until August. That’s a long time to go without being able to fill any gaps.
Proposed Solutions for a Better Calendar
Drinkwitz tossed out a few ideas to fix this. He suggested adding a spring-waiver and a summer-waiver opportunity.
This would let players transfer and join team activities without getting tangled up in academic red tape, as long as they’re in good academic standing. It’d help players and teams stay flexible, and maybe even keep everyone a bit saner.
Addressing Academic and Athletic Balance
Balancing academics with football is a big deal in Drinkwitz’s plan. He made it clear that education matters, but it shouldn’t totally derail a player’s shot at developing on the field.
With specific transfer windows and no academic penalties, players could keep up with classes and still make the most of their athletic chances. If someone needs to sit out a semester, fine—as long as they’re keeping up academically.
This kind of flexibility would help new transfers get up to speed during spring practices, which could make a real difference once the season rolls around.
The Role of Coaches in Shaping the Future
Drinkwitz thinks coaches should have a bigger say in how the college football calendar gets shaped. Right now, decisions come from all over the place—lots of layers, lots of bureaucracy.
He’d like to see a committee that actually includes coaches, along with administrators and other folks who know what’s at stake. Maybe then, college football could finally land on some solutions that actually work for the people living it every day.
Looking Ahead
College football’s changing fast, isn’t it? Balancing the sport’s demands with the academic calendar is still a big challenge.
Drinkwitz has thrown out some ideas and opinions that could kick off real conversations about fixing the system. Listening to coaches and other folks in the mix might help create a schedule that’s a little less overwhelming for everyone.
If you want the full rundown of Eli Drinkwitz’s thoughts, check out the original article on 247Sports.
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