What are the rules for transferring?

[nelsonmuntz]

I keep seeing players transfer to their third (or more) school. How and/or why is that happening?

My understanding is that the transfer rules were:

1) A player gets ONE free transfer in his college career without sitting a season.
2) All subsequent transfers require the player to redshirt one season.
3) A player has to play his 4 years of eligibility within 5 years.
4) Players impacted by the 2020 (football) and 2020-2021 (basketball) Covid seasons received a) one extra year of eligibility, and b) one free transfer (not clear if this is in addition to #1 above).
5) A player has to be in good academic standing to transfer. I get that academics are a joke at this point for college-athletes, but how are players transferring mid-semester if this is a thing?

So how are players onto their third or fourth team? Are they sitting out on that second transfer? Or is the NCAA handing out waivers to anyone who asks?

 

[CCSUblue]

I keep seeing players transfer to their third (or more) school. How and/or why is that happening?

My understanding is that the transfer rules were:

1) A player gets ONE free transfer in his college career without sitting a season.
2) All subsequent transfers require the player to redshirt one season.
3) A player has to play his 4 years of eligibility within 5 years.
4) Players impacted by the 2020 (football) and 2020-2021 (basketball) Covid seasons received a) one extra year of eligibility, and b) one free transfer (not clear if this is in addition to #1 above).
5) A player has to be in good academic standing to transfer. I get that academics are a joke at this point for college-athletes, but how are players transferring mid-semester if this is a thing?

So how are players onto their third or fourth team? Are they sitting out on that second transfer? Or is the NCAA handing out waivers to anyone who asks?

I believe you can transfer with immediate eligibility if your coach is fired or leaves. Graduate transfers are also eligible immediately.

 

[Minicoop69]

I believe you can transfer with immediate eligibility if your coach is fired or leaves. Graduate transfers are also eligible immediately.

I am not sure if that is actually a written rule. And I don't think that is in addition to the other 1 free transfer. Bball player who transferred to WVU did not get his waiver approved and had to sit out all year even after his coach got fired. Albeit he got fired like 2 weeks before season started and the player transferred at that time, well into 1st semester.

But if he was wearing a different jersey it probably would have been approved.

 

[noeynox]

They're like Outback, No rules, just right.

 

[ScottVib]

The rules in the first post are for undergraduate transfers. Many of these players with extra eligibility are transferring as graduate transfers, immediately eligible, the COVID year means there are many more of them out there. Medical redshirts and the COVID year don't count against 5 years to play 4.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The rules in the first post are for undergraduate transfers. Many of these players with extra eligibility are transferring as graduate transfers, immediately eligible, the COVID year means there are many more of them out there. Medical redshirts and the COVID year don't count against 5 years to play 4.

So players get TWO free transfers? One as an undergrad, and one as a grad transfer for a 5th year if they graduated?

Are players that were the freshmen in Fall 2021 or later covered under the rules in the OP?

Putting medical redshirts to the side, are the rules for 4 in 5 still valid for freshmen that started Fall 2021 or later?

Do COVID impacted players get an extra free transfer?

 

[noeynox]

I think this speaks to the OP and how transfers seem to be constantly in and out of the portal.

 

[ZooCougar]

It’s a mosh pit. There are no rules.

 

[phillionaire]

It’s a mosh pit. There are no rules.

Mosh pits actually have rules

 

[Skiblets]

Mosh pits actually have rules

More a code than rules… but mosh pits are more orderly than the portal and NCAA transfer rules for sure

 

[ZooCougar]

Mosh pits actually have rules

News to me.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[gioff2323]

Why not make NLIs a 2 yr deal and then require transfers to remain at new school for shorter of 2 yrs or graduation?

 

[Patman]

It may come to that. It's really a matter of how much of a joke do we let education become. You know the article is coming in 3 years about broken academic

dreams vis a vis the transfer portal