NCAA moves toward immediate eligibility for all transfers
The NCAA took a significant step toward allowing all Division I athletes to transfer one time without sitting out a season of competition.
A plan to change the waiver process is expected to be presented to the Division I Council in April. If adopted, new criteria would go into effect for the 2020-21 academic year and be a boon for athletes in high-profile sports such as football and men's and women's basketball.
In those sports, along with baseball and men's hockey, Division I undergraduate athletes are required to do what the NCAA calls a year-in-residence after transferring, when they can practice with their new teams but not participate in games.
Other NCAA Division I athletes are permitted by rule a one-time exception to be immediately eligible for competition after transferring....
The NCAA adjusted waiver criteria two years ago to give more athletes the chance to become immediately eligible, but that has led to complaints about inconsistency in the process.
“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 Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher, who is the chairman of the transfer working group. "This concept provides a uniform approach that is understandable, predictable and objective. Most importantly, it benefits students.”...“More than a third of all college students transfer at least once, and the Division I rule prohibiting immediate competition for students who play five sports hasn’t discouraged them from transferring,” Steinbrecher said. “This dynamic has strained the waiver process, which was designed to handle extenuating and extraordinary circumstances.”
Athletes can currently request a waiver for immediate eligibility for several reasons. The most common are: Claims of athletes being run off a team by a coach; claims of egregious behavior by the original school; injured or ill immediate family member; and injury or illness to the athlete. Read more: www.ctpost.com/sports/college/article/NCAA-moves-toward-immediate-eligibility-for-all-15065897.php
Interesting the new proposal still requires the approval in April of the div. 1 council. I am not sure how the Div 1 council is comprised and what are its responsibilities? This could work out as a positive or negative for a mid major like FF. It would be a negative for a mid major school when a player who is under recruited initially develops at his original school only to make it easier for him to transfer to a higher profile program. At the same time it could be a benefit for a historically struggling school like FF who could be a receiving school for a transfer who is over recruited initially and unhappy with his playing time at a larger program. The poaching of players form an active roster by other coaches is a real concern. Coaches are paid to win or ese they lose their job. They will do whatever is necessary to be competitive.
Interesting the new proposal still requires the approval in April of the div. 1 council. I am not sure how the Div 1 council is comprised and what are its responsibilities? This could work out as a positive or negative for a mid major like FF. It would be a negative for a mid major school when a player who is under recruited initially develops at his original school only to make it easier for him to transfer to a higher profile program. At the same time it could be a benefit for a historically struggling school like FF who could be a receiving school for a transfer who is over recruited initially and unhappy with his playing time at a larger program. The poaching of players form an active roster by other coaches is a real concern. Coaches are paid to win or ese they lose their job. They will do whatever is necessary to be competitive.
Well if indeed this change happens I hope Jay Young and his staff are on top of its ramifications and ready to take advantage rather than the opposite. Actually though, as stated in the article, this transferring has been happening at such a frequent basis that it really doesn't make much sense anymore to restrict athletes in the listed major sports from being able to have the same freedoms as those in the other minor type sports. After all, as a matter of fairness, if a coach can leave at any time, why shouldn't a student have the same right? Anyway it will be interesting to see if this proposal is voted in. And BTW more specifically to the Stags (and this shouldn't even matter whether it is passed or not), I'd love to see Peter Kiss here next year!
I agree about making the process consistent. I think it will definitely change the recruiting landscape and probably not favorably for incoming frosh.
Yeah no doubt it could cause problems, especially for freshmen. No easy answers I guess, but one thing that should happen is there should be a cutoff date for a declaration (May 15th, maybe June 1st?) in order to not leave a program stripped of talent without time to replenish. Second thing is there would have to be a rule against 'poaching' until the current season is over, although to be honest I don't know how that could be enforced without some programs cheating.
At face value I think it levels the playing field and there will be a lot more healthy grandmas out there😂
What hit me was could a school guarantee a 4 yr ride to keep a great player? And vice versa, could a scholarship guarantee be a tool to steal a player?
At face value I think it levels the playing field and there will be a lot more healthy grandmas out there😂
What hit me was could a school guarantee a 4 yr ride to keep a great player? And vice versa, could a scholarship guarantee be a tool to steal a player?
IMO, this is a huge mistake. Tampering and raiding of mid majors by bigger schools will create chaos and division throughout the sport. Adjust the rule to 1 semester so that the STUDENT athlete has time to adjust academically. There would be no exceptions. Any transfer within the conference would mean a student would still have to sit a full year.
IMO, this is a huge mistake. Tampering and raiding of mid majors by bigger schools will create chaos and division throughout the sport. Adjust the rule to 1 semester so that the STUDENT athlete has time to adjust academically. There would be no exceptions. Any transfer within the conference would mean a student would still have to sit a full year.
Perhaps student athletes should not be eligible until they have completed three semesters - to prevent transferring (without the wait period) after one year and using the institution as a mere stepping stone. They would be no worse off than they are now. Sitting a full year for transfers within conference sounds fair to the schools.
IMO, this is a huge mistake. Tampering and raiding of mid majors by bigger schools will create chaos and division throughout the sport. Adjust the rule to 1 semester so that the STUDENT athlete has time to adjust academically. There would be no exceptions. Any transfer within the conference would mean a student would still have to sit a full year.
The more I think about it, the more issues arise in my mind and you know it's the mid majors who will be screwed.
The other option is go to the other extreme, transfers sit one year, absolutely no exceptions.
Post by ctghostman on Feb 19, 2020 18:42:15 GMT -5
I see it benefiting the mids. Players will more likely come back down rather go up. Bottom line is give the kids a good experience and they will likely stay. As good as Nelson was, he was at the right place/level.
Post by gofairfield on Feb 20, 2020 10:07:55 GMT -5
It's a free country and these are just teenagers, if they want to transfer they should be able to play right away. I always thought it was a bizarre rule. That said, if the rules are changed, there will obviously be a huge increase in transfer rate for D-1 basketball players. And speaking of transferring, I assume at least two or three Stags will transfer out at the end of this season because of the coaching change.
Post by gofairfield on Feb 20, 2020 10:18:52 GMT -5
I don't think it's shady if Iona is able to get the best players from the MAAC to transfer to their school. It might take Fairfield the rest of this century to hit the number of times that Iona has gone to the dance in the last decade. I think it's an amazing accomplishment.
