The new NCAA transfer portal for football officially opened on Friday, promising a hectic two weeks that will see plenty of player movement across the country, including at the University of Hawai‘i.
FBS and FCS players with eligibility remaining were able to enter the portal at midnight Eastern Standard Time on Friday and will have until Jan. 16 to do so.
In the 2024-2025 academic year, more than 4,900 FBS players and 3,200 FCS players entered the transfer portal, which both set records at the time. There were also two portal periods: One in December 2024 and one in April 2025. The January 2026 window will be the only transfer portal period of the 2025-2026 academic year.
Despite the portal not opening until Friday, 10 players on the University of Hawai‘i's 2025 roster had already announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal in receivers Jackson Harris and Joey Farthing, defensive backs Ben Drake, Deliyon Freeman and Semaj James, defensive lineman Aiden McComber, quarterbacks Luke Weaver and Dermaricus Davis, offensive lineman KT Carter, and punter Billy Gowers.
Weaver, the hero of the Hawai‘i Bowl, threw the game-winning touchdown to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds remaining. He went 2-0 as a starter in place of regular starter Micah Alejado, who dealt with ankle issues throughout the course of the season. Alejado is expected to return as the starting quarterback and has three years of eligibility remaining, while Weaver will have two seasons of college ball left.
The nature of the NCAA transfer portal, which officially launched in 2018, has seen adjustments as rules changed in collegiate athletics. When the portal launched, athletes who did not graduate from their previous schools originally had to sit out for a year in academic residence. That is no longer the case, as athletes can compete for their new schools right away. Additionally, a ruling in 2024 allowed student-athletes to transfer an unlimited amount of times. University of Hawai‘i men's basketball senior guard Dre Bullock, for example, is at his fourth school in four years.
New additions for the University of Hawai‘i football in the upcoming portal period will also have academic considerations. UH-Mānoa's spring semester begins on Jan. 12, while the final day to register for classes is 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 20.
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
