Ready or Not, It Looks Like NCAA Transfer Changes are on the Way
STILLWATER -- A couple of weeks ago, the Big Ten athletic directors weighed in. They endorsed a change in NCAA transfer rules that would allow athletes in all sports; including the previously protected revenue producing sports of football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, and ice hockey; a one-time transfer and to be eligible immediately.
Other NCAA sports have had that option and along with the growing dissatisfaction that coaches could move freely and student-athletes couldn't, there has been pressure for reformation in transfer rules. Also, schools have pointed to the recent loosening of waivers for transfers and some say decisions that were inconsistent.
By the way, the Big Ten proposal also made second and third transfers simple too. Any transfer after the first would require the athlete to sit out a year before being eligible. No exceptions.
Okay, let's face it, there are a lot of student-athletes, parents, coaches, administrators that are unhappy. There are media, fans, and observers that have been confused. The NCAA has had a working group studying the transfer and waiver process. The NCAA Division I Council had put a moratorium on any rule or policy changes to the process until the year 2021. Now that has changed. The ACC became the second Power Five conference to endorse the same plan the Big Ten had.
The Transfer Waiver Working Group has paid attention, quickly come up with their answer and the NCAA is backing off the moratorium and seems ready to let the Division I Council take a shot at this with possible action in the next several months that could have the new rules in place for the 2021 school year.
"The current system is unsustainable. Working group members believe it's time to bring our transfer rules more in line with today's college landscape," said working group chair Jon Steinbrecher, commissioner of the Mid-American Conference. "This concept provides a uniform approach that is understandable, predictable and objective. Most importantly, it benefits students."
Interestingly, the MAC has lost some standout basketball talent to transfers to Power Five schools in recent years. Meaning not all the coaches in Steinbrecher's conference would be for this.
The working group concept would change the waiver criteria to allow student athletes for first-time four-year transfers in all sports to compete immediately if they meet the following:
- Receive a transfer release from their previous school.
- Leave their previous school academically eligible.
- Maintain their academic progress at the new school.
- Leave under no disciplinary suspension.
Oklahoma State's assistant athletic director in compliance Ben Dyson, works primarily with football and offices in the West End Zone. The senior associate athletic director for compliance is Kevin Fite.
Dyson understands what the NCAA is trying to do.
"What they are looking to do now is changing the waiver criteria," Dyson explained. "So, they are not changing legislation, but changing the criteria for which they evaluate waivers, and try to make it a little less subjective and more objective across the board. Student-athletes on the front end will know whether or not that are going to be eligible before they transfer to that new school."
We've seen the waiver process and how it works for some and not for others. Just in the last 24 hours, one of the most disappointing cases of a denied waiver has resurfaced. While some athletes did get a waiver, University of Georgia tight end Luke Ford transferred to Illinois so his ailing grandparents could see him play. The NCAA denied his waiver and denied an appeal. Now, Ford's grandfather has passed.
The NCAA Transfer Portal was the first part of making transferring more liberal. It used to be the student-athlete had to inform their coach, compliance was involved and schools had to seek permission to speak with and recruit transferring athletes. Now, all that has to happen is for the student-athlete to put their name on the portal.
"It eliminated a lot of paper work for us (in compliance)," Dyson said. "Now, we just look to see if they are on the portal."
The primary paper work here would be the release, which I can see some schools and coaches giving willingly and I can see others not so willing and still, as we have seen in the past, selective on which schools they will allow athletes to transfer to.
I have not talked to all the coaches that would be impacted at Oklahoma State, but head football coach Mike Gundy has said he is skeptical of loosening transfer rules because it could cause schools to simply look at other team's rosters for help they may need immediately and find some way to reach out.
I expressed the same concern to Dyson and he had this comment.
"That is definitely a legitimate concern," Dyson agreed. "You have coaches that are concerned that they went out and spent time, money, and effort in finding athletes and developing that talent, then the kid has a good season and decides he wants to find a brighter stage. I think that is a legitimate concern. There are tampering rules that are already in place and right now schools are not allowed to approach or talk to a student-athlete at another school without that athlete being in the NCAA Portal, but I think we all know there are some coaches that don't follow the rules and some of those messages get sent and relayed and there are some things that happen that probably shouldn't."
The rules are definitely being groomed to be more favorable to student-athletes having more freedom. Dyson told me the NCAA is trying to modernize a rule book that was primarily written in a another day and time. So many things have changed.
There is no doubt as well that the NCAA is completely frightened and scared of the name, image, and likeness legislation that has been passed in California and is being fast-tracked in other states.
Right now the NCAA wants to be as student-athlete friendly as they can be. That is not Ben Dyson talking, but it is the opinion of many that cover college sports including this writer.
I think this new transfer policy will be in place before mid-summer and will be used as soon as August and the first time a football player feels he has lost the grip on his starting position.
