Reports: Big Ten proposes NCAA rule change allowing all student-athletes 1-time transfer without sitting out
We could soon be entering a world where transfer waivers are no longer necessary.
That’s because the Big Ten has proposed a change to the NCAA’s transfer rules which would student-athletes in all sports the ability to transfer one time without having to sit out a season or apply for a waiver to gain immediate eligibility at their next school. This news was first reported by Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports and later reported by Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.
It should be noted that this proposal will still have to be voted on before it becomes an official NCAA rule.
According to Dodd, the Big Ten proposed this rule change last year but the NCAA pushed the proposal to the 2019-20 legislative calendar.
The way the current NCAA transfer rules are laid out, all non-graduates must sit out a full season before being able to compete at their new school — unless a waiver is granted by the NCAA for immediate eligibility. The waiver process is kept out of the public eye and reasons for approval or denial are not given to either the university or the player transferring. The timeline for decisions is also unclear and appear to be done on a case-by-case basis.
Should this proposal become a rule, it would likely make the waiver process obsolete. It should be noted that for most college sports, transfers are not required to sit out of competition for a season, only in the major revenue-producing college sports.
Ridiculous. We already have way too many transfers… this would create chaos.
It would be a year round free agency, I would love it.
It’s hard enough creating any team continuity as it is with players only sticking around 2-3 years these days, this would be a nightmare for coaches. I can’t imagine many would support this.
I agree with you that not many would support this. It would be interesting though and much more difficult for the coaches to retain their players, as if it isn’t already hard enough.
It’s hard enough creating any team continuity as it is with players only sticking around 2-3 years these days, this would be a nightmare for coaches. I can’t imagine many would support this.
I agree college football already has to deal with massive turnover. This would be a nightmare.
I’m all for this. Sometimes it’s just a bad fit and for a variety of reasons, school, location, coaching, teammates who knows. Plus it will take ridiculous bs decisions away from the NCAA like what they did to that Hoffman kid at VT who’s mother is recovering from a brain tumor. Make this happen ASAP.
I love it. It needs to happen because people are gaming the waiver process and NCAA unsurprisingly has been unfair and inconsistent in its application . Make it same for everybody.
One accompanying rule suggestion : what about fir every transfer you bring in who does not sit out the year , it counts as 2 scholarships. That would put the brakes on chaos.
Seems a bigger issue for basketball than football.
That’s crazy. A lazy attempt at diluting the power of the top teams. SEC envy at it’s most desperate..
It’s always going to be OS and nobody else from the B-10 (With only 1 B-10 team likely to finish top-10 in recruiting) and the – I got my feelings hurt – transfer policy free for all won’t hurt that team as much. That is just lame…
You get one chance to play college football, and after that you never play football again.
You can’t justify playing college football without getting an education that will pay your room and board for the next 60 years after you graduate.
Having said that, football happens in programs vs. programs, not individuals vs. individuals. So every time an individual is allowed to transfer and play, a program needs to be allowed to find a replacement for that player. When we figure out how to do that then let all roll, and the internet is a great chance to connect confidential positions available with confidential players seeking programs. The problems start when the contacts and visits start, but since programs already deal with this to some degree when players are 17 years old, then it’s possible it might work. But it also might not work. Can you imagine how hard it would be to keep a program afloat if it has a couple of bad years and everybody on the roster wants to transfer….instantly.
No. Players choose programs for a variety of reasons, one being coaching and system. When there is a large coaching turnover, those players should have unbridled transfer ability. Tie transfers to coaching turnover, for starters. That might make programs less likely to fire coaches after 2-3 years. As long as coaches are able to jump from program to program, players should have the same right. New coaching staffs can start from scratch. There are players in mid-major programs who would transfer in, plus juco players and new recruiting classes. Second, if a player wants to transfer because he is not getting playing time, he should be allowed to transfer. As for a player who want to transfer simply because he doesn’t like it where he is, make him sit a year. But coaching changes and sitting the bench are usually the two main reasons players want out.
I’ve got a better idea. Anyone can transfer 1 time. And there are no waivers for anyone for any reason. Sit your butt down and wait a year. Graduates can play immediately.