This might surprise some, but there actually is a rule out there regarding the transfer portal in college football, at least during the spring window.
The transfer portal will open for a second time this college football offseason on Wednesday for the spring window. It will be open for a little over a week until April 25, much shorter than the winter transfer cycle.
SEC has intraconference rule during spring transfer portal window
The length of the window isn’t the only difference from the winter, though, at least not in the SEC. During the spring transfer portal window, the SEC does not allow players to transfer from and to another SEC school and receive immediate eligibility.
If they do, that player must sit out a year before they’re eligible. However, if a player from an SEC program transfers to a school in a different conference, then they will be immediately eligible in most cases.
This is an SEC rule, not an NCAA guideline. The SEC is the only conference with this rule. It’s also only a rule during the spring that doesn’t go into effect until after Feb. 1.
During the winter cycle, SEC players can still transfer to other SEC programs and immediately be eligible. The Oklahoma Sooners lost multiple players to fellow SEC members this past winter, including quarterback Jackson Arnold to Auburn and Bauer Sharp to LSU. Both will be eligible to play when they face their former team this upcoming season.
This spring transfer rule from the SEC is worth noting since it’s the Sooners’ first spring as part of the conference. However, OU and Texas also had to abide by the rule last year in preparation for entering the SEC.
This rule is also a hot topic since possibly the biggest player in the transfer portal during the spring could come from the SEC. News broke Saturday morning that Tennessee is moving on from star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, according to Pete Thamel.
Iamaleava was one of the best freshman in the country last season. He threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns compared to five interceptions. He's also dangerous on the ground, rushing for 358 yards and three scores.
Multiple reports surfaced Thursday that there might be trouble in paradise as Iamaleava and Tennessee were reportedly in active contract negotiations because Iamaleava wants more money.
There was even more drama Friday when Iamaleava reportedly missed practice a day before the Volunteers’ spring game. It was apparently a shock to Tennessee’s players and coaches. Iamaleava's father also posted that it was all a lie.
Now with Iamaleava entering the transfer portal soon, that means he’ll be out of the SEC this upcoming season, even if there are programs in the conference, like, say Alabama, that might want him. His replacement would also have to come from Tennessee’s current roster or a different conference.
The Sooners wouldn’t be in the Iamaleava sweepstakes regardless since they have John Mateer taking the reins at quarterback. Mateer transferred during the winter from Washington State as the No. 1 player in the portal.
No Iamaleava, though, would make that future matchup against Tennessee on the road look a lot less daunting. And with other SEC teams still needing an upgrade at quarterback, Iamaleava won’t be their answer.
The Sooners are scheduled to travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, on Nov. 1. With Iamaleava gone, LSU will be the only SEC team on OU's schedule without a new quarterback from last year.