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Report: NCAA toughening immediate eligibility guidelines for transfer players
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Immediate eligibility waivers may not be so easy to obtain in the future for college athletes who decide to transfer, according to a report from USA TODAY.
According to Dan Wolken, the NCAA Division I council is expected to approve tougher transfer guidelines for student-athletes, making it more difficult for players to receive an immediate eligibility waiver. The council is scheduled to meet Wednesday, according to the report.
The new guidelines have limited the number of viable reasons and circumstances in which a student-athlete can receive immediate eligibility after leaving a program. It will the require those students to sit out one season before participating for the new school.
Per Wolken, the new guidelines primarily pertain to college football and basketball players. With the popularity of the transfer portal, several student-athletes in both sports have taken advantage to explore other opportunities outside of their current programs.
The NCAA will require “documented extenuating, extraordinary and mitigating circumstances outside of the student-athlete’s control that directly impacts the health, safety or well-being of the student-athlete.”
Over the last year, with the increased number of transfer student-athletes, the NCAA has been incredibly inconsistent with its immediate eligibility approvals. It will be interesting to see if the the organization’s new push will set a better, or at least fairer standard.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB