According to a number of news sources, the NCAA is quickly moving to change their transfer policy for student-athletes, allowing a one-time transfer process for collegiate athletes with the ability to compete the following academic year. This new policy would trump the current requirements for student-athletes transferring to a four-year NCAA school who must complete one academic year in residence at the new school before they can play for the new school unless they qualify for a transfer exception or waiver – usually financial hardship or outright waiver from the departing institution.
This one-time transfer policy would significantly reduce waiver requests, but not all players will be eligible. According to the proposal, student-athletes must meet four benchmarks to transfer and play immediately: (1) receive a release from their previous school; (2) leave their previous school academically eligible; (3) maintain their academic progress at their new school; and (4) leave under no disciplinary suspension. The proposed policy would also align more closely with what most other non-student athletes can do if they wish to transfer from one school to another.
Most of the concerns center around football coaches with the high cost of recruiting and development. Others argue the risks of losing first-year student-athletes before they have adapted to a new academic/athletic environment. Also, critics see chaos as coaches and athletic staff of universities poaching players directly off other campuses during the school year.
Loading ...We see this proposal as a logical, well-deserved benefit for student-athletes and a win for DU. Student-athletes should not be held hostage at universities for essentially two-years due to archaic transfer requirements. We also believe that the University of Denver with its educational profile, sports offers, and excellent coaches could actually benefit from these new rules.
This will turn mid majors into farm teams for the big schools.
Chaos will reign. There’s more downside than upside for some sports at DU.
Anon is correct. Still I believe an athlete has the right to transfer. One stud player can turn a 15-14 basketball season into 20-9 or better. A player can literally transfer after the fall term ends and play for a new school the same season. Quick fix for a injury. Top schools will keep a scholarship available just in case. Dunker foresees Chaos for sure. Many programs openly or covertly cheat anyway, so what the hell.
Dunker sees both an upside and downside for DU. When say a Yale laxer or a BU hockey player realizes that their school sucks in the fall term, they can transfer to DU and play beginning end of fall quarter. However if we ever get a stud basketball player, a major will pick him up in a second. (hope this does not happen to Townsend)
This is going to be a HUGE problem for DU basketball. Many good players at mid majors will use those programs as stepping stones to a higher level of basketball. And most of the players who step out of big schools for more playing time at mid-majors won’t be difference makers for mid majors and will simply damage chemistry there where one player can make a huge difference in team chemistry.
Hockey transfers won’t be much of a difference for DU, as the program is at the top level of the sport already, guys who get good playing time here now are likely to stay. while a number of players who can’t cut the top three lines at DU or the top six defensemen leave for the juniors already.
Lacrosse and all other DU sports already permit 1-time transfers without the year wait.
The flip side on hoops could be Power 5 bench players that want to play. While DU has not had much success in this area, it could potentially work for DU. SDSU thrives of these types of players. DU Volleyball could possibly benefit, too, for the same reasons.
When someone goes to a school on an athletic scholarship to get an education it won’t make much difference. In my opinion, they are less likely to transfer on a whim.
When a person is only looking at the school as a stepping stone to professional sports or simply a championship, the education wasn’t a priority anyway. To those who would disrespect my school and my hometown in that manner, I say “good riddance”.
Volleyball already allows transfer without the year wait, so this new rule won’t really affect that sport. In fact, most NCAA sports already allow transfers to play the next year without a wait, such as soccer, lax, swimming, skiing, tennis and golf to name a few.
The only sports that make transfers wait another year at the new school are football, basketball (m and w), hockey and baseball, sports that send lots of players into full-time professional employment in those sports.
In basketball (and football), you also have a lot of players who are from low-income and poverty situations who playing those sports in order to develop so they can feed their families with their pro paycheck. The education part of it may be quite secondary in the decision process for players whom come from these kinds of backgrounds vs. those families who already have resources, who can afford to encourage an education -first mindset.