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We knew it was coming soon, but on Wednesday, the NCAA’s Division I Council approved the one-time transfer rule for college athletes — which would have been really nice for former Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety, Alohi Gilman back in 2017.
The one-time transfer rule for athletes in all sports has been approved by the NCAA's Division Council, source tells @TheAthletic. Athletes in all sports will be able to transfer once and be immediately eligible.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) April 14, 2021
(This isn't official until end of Thursday's meeting.)
This rule goes into effect immediately, and all student athletes wishing to use this rule this year, must notify the school by July 1. Starting in 2022, the notification deadlines will be May 1 for fall and winter sports, and July 1 for spring sports. The rule is retroactive, meaning that any player that already transferred over the last few months will be eligible for the upcoming season at their new school.
It shouldn’t need explaining, but every student athlete will be allowed a one time to transfer option without having to sit out for a year. I don’t believe this affects the graduate transfer rule which allows those that have graduated from one school to be able to use up their final year of eligibility somewhere else without penalty.
This rule change is long overdue. For the last several years the NCAA has been an absolute joke in the way they have administered their transfer rules. There was absolutely no transparency, and who was granted a waiver for transfer eligibility and who was not never added up or made a whole lot of sense. And the truth is... everyone deserved a chance to change their mind, and now they finally have it with this new rule.
Are things going to be a little chaotic for a while? Yeah, of course — change always causes a little bit of upheaval. At the end of the day though, this is a jab by the NCAA to help fight off those that demand more for the student athletes in terms of money and greater rights as individuals. Coach salaries continue to climb and they have no restrictions on their movement other than the free market.
Next up for the student-athletes in terms of gaining greater freedom by the NCAA will probably be for NIL rights (name, image, and likeness) but that fight is still in the early stages.