Allowing student-athletes the one-time transfer opportunity without penalty of sitting out a season is not something that the NCAA Board of Directors recommends approving, at least right now.

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors said in a statement that right now is not the appropriate time to vote on a one-time transfer rule that would allow all student-athletes the opportunity to play immediately at their next institution. The first-time transfer rule change was recommended to the board by the NCAA’s Transfer Waiver Working Group.

In the statement, the NCAA pointed to the coronavirus pandemic as a reason why the topic was not a major focus at this point in time.

The board agreed to lift the moratorium on transfer legislation for the 2020-21 legislative cycle but recommended to the Council that changes to the waiver process as suggested by the working group are not appropriate at this time. Board members recommended the waiver process be sensitive to student-athlete well-being, especially those impacted by COVID-19 in the interim period.

Men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, ice hockey and football are the only sports in which student-athletes are not permitted immediate eligibility after a one-time transfer. Several conferences agreed that implementing that rule across all sports would be a good step for student-athletes.

Despite this recommendation for the board of directors, the Division I Council could still vote in favor of passing the transfer rules in May.