COLUMBUS, Ohio -- First-time transfers in college football and basketball could be immediately eligible without needing a waiver as early as the 2020-21 academic year, if the Division I council approves the proposal in April.
According to a news release, the concept originated with the NCAA’s Transfer Waiver Working Group and would depend on certain criteria. The athletes must receive a transfer release from their previous school, they must depart in good academic standing and maintain academic progress at their new school, and they may not leave under disciplinary suspension.
The new waiver requirements are the same that currently exist for most sports. They would now also apply to football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and men’s ice hockey. Non-graduates in those five sports previously had to apply for a waiver based on health or safety reasons in order to be immediately eligible.
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields successfully sought such a waiver after transferring from Georgia.
John Steinbrecher, Mid-American Conference commissioner and chair of the working group, said the current rules have not discouraged athletes in those five sports from transferring and has “strained” the waiver process.
“The current system is unsustainable," Steinbrecher said in a new release. "Working group members believe it’s time to bring our transfer rules more in line with today’s college landscape. This concept provides a uniform approach that is understandable, predictable and objective. Most importantly, it benefits students.”
A waiver process would remain in place for athletes who previously transferred or do not qualify for the new policy.
The news release said the working group will seek feedback from athletes, conferences, coaches associations and other college sports organizations prior to the April meeting. If approved, the new rule would apply to transfers in the 2020-21 academic year.
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