FAYETTEVILLE — The NCAA's Division I Transfer Working Group voiced support this week for a rule change that would eliminate a coach's ability to steer transfers away from certain programs.
"We have strong support from the membership for allowing student-athletes to transfer and be recruited without losing their scholarships,” said Justin Sell, athletics director at South Dakota State and chair of the working group. “We will ask the Division I Council to move forward with a vote on that proposal in June. This is meaningful change that will benefit student-athletes, schools and coaches.”
Players are often given conditional scholarship releases that bar them from transferring to teams within the same conference or to other potential opponents. In some instances, graduate transfers have experienced similar resistance to full scholarship releases.
Eliminating the practice of placing restrictions on a transfer is one of several potential rule changes being explored by the group.
Other changes could include immediate eligibility for transfers that meet undetermined academic requirements, eliminating the one-time transfer exemption that allows immediate eligibility in sports such as track, golf and soccer, stronger penalties for tampering and immediate eligibility elsewhere for players who sign a letter of intent for a program that experiences a head coaching change.
The working group also is seeking feedback on a proposal that would require schools to count graduate transfers against scholarship limits for the duration of their time enrolled in a graduate program, even if it is after their eligibility has ended.
According to the NCAA, the working group will meet with conference leaders this spring to seek more feedback on the proposals. NCAA members will vote on the final proposals in June and, if approved, rule changes will go into effect in October.