A new NCAA transfer rule will allow all college athletes to transfer and play immediately if they meet specific academic requirements, as the Division I Council on Wednesday approved emergency legislation announced by the NCAA.
The decision is not final until meetings end on Thursday, and the rule must still be formally approved by the NCAA executive board on Monday, but it is expected to be a formality. The rule will provide immediate eligibility to any athlete who transferred during the 2023-24 academic year, including football players who entered the transfer portal on Tuesday and during this window, as long as they are academically eligible and make progress toward title. requirements at your new school.
The legislation will not limit the number of times an athlete can transfer (and there are still two transfer windows) but they cannot transfer mid-year and play for a second school in the same season. Although the new rule is tied to academic progress, some in college athletics have expressed concern about the long-term implications for graduation rates.
“One of the questions we have to ask ourselves is: at what point does the title still matter?” Oregon coach Dan Lanning told ESPN in a recent interview. “I think it's going to be increasingly difficult if guys become multi-year transfers to actually have a college degree. If you graduate, there are a lot of times it makes sense: change schools as many times as you want. “If you graduate. But on the same note, if someone changes schools three times, I wonder what their progress toward a degree is really like. “I think that's something that everyone should probably have some awareness of.”
Previously, the NCAA's one-time transfer rule allowed athletes to immediately play at the first school they transferred to, but then they had to sit out for a year if they transferred again, or ask the NCAA for a waiver to compete from immediate.
In December, the NCAA proposed the policy in reaction to a West Virginia judge's ruling aimed at preventing the organization from enforcing its statute that prohibits athletes from transferring multiple times and playing correctly. The NCAA agreed to terms of a preliminary injunction that will extend at least through the end of the academic year.
In January, the U.S. Department of Justice joined the lawsuit against the NCAA's transfer rules, a lawsuit that argues that limitations on transfers violate antitrust law.
According to the amended injunctive relief complaint, filed in January, the NCAA transfer statute “unreasonably restricts the ability of these college athletes to participate in the market for their employment as NCAA Division I college athletes.”
College football's 15-day transfer window is open and players have until April 30 to enter the portal. They don't have to find their new schools by then (and can choose to stay with their current team), but they have 15 days to decide if they want to transfer.
“With these rule changes, NCAA members continue to prioritize the long-term academic success of transferring college athletes, while supporting their opportunity to compete immediately,” said Florida Assistant Director of Athletics Lynda Tealer. and president of the council. “We hope that this practical approach to transfer eligibility requirements encourages student-athletes to make well-informed decisions about transferring and the impacts such a move could have on their ability to graduate on time in the degree of their choice. particularly with regard to transferable credits.”
The DI Council also advanced legislation that would allow schools to be more actively involved in obtaining sponsorship deals for their athletes. Schools still would not be able to pay athletes directly, but could facilitate NIL opportunities between third parties and athletes.
