NCAA move to single transfer window another huge edge for the Ducks

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning leads his team during the entry walk as the Oregon Ducks host the Montana State Bobcats on Aug. 30, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning leads his team during the entry walk as the Oregon Ducks host the Montana State Bobcats on Aug. 30, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The rich get richer, always.

With a deep, talented roster that's built to make the playoffs nearly every year, the NCAA's proposed move to a single, 10-day transfer window in January is tailor-made for Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks.

The proposal by the NCAA Football Oversight Committee still has to be formally adopted by the Administrative Committee, and then it has to survive the inevitable challenges in court. The change would go into effect on January 2, this season.

If it does to come to pass and survives, it's ideal for Oregon in a couple of ways. The Ducks have been judicious, strategic and surgical in their use of the Transfer Portal, superb evaluators that have plucked players like Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, Tez Johnson, Bucky Irving, Jordan Burch, Derrick Harmon and Christian Gonzalez off the rosters of other teams.

They've shopped judiciously while never losing a single starter to the portal in the three-plus years Dan Lanning has been head coach.

Because the Ducks are so deep in talent, a single window allows them to know exactly who is leaving and what spots might need to be replaced, and the action starts late enough to not interfere with playoff and conference championship preparation.

Having sent 18 players to the NFL draft in the last two seasons with a total of 35 Ducks on NFL active rosters, Oregon has become a destination school for top transfers. The Ducks have money and they get their players paid.

The timing is better, and one window favors the prepared. It favors planning, roster development and careful talent evaluation. It plays right into Dan Lanning's ruthless, meticulous hands.

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