Report: Former Miami four-star recruit Earl Timberlake granted waiver following second transfer to Bryant

After transferring for the second time in his collegiate career, former Miami Hurricanes wing Earl Timberlake was looking at sitting out the 2022 basketball season. However, according to a recent report, Timberlake will not have to worry about missing next year.

According to Jon Rothstein, the NCAA has approved the two-time transfers waiver petition and will be able to play immediately next season. Timberlake required a waiver after transferring for the second time. The NCAA grants players a free pass to play immediately after transferring the first time.

Timberlake elected to transfer to Bryant after transferring to Memphis. Before playing for the Tigers, the former high-caliber four-star recruit played the Miami Hurricanes in 2020. However, after his freshman season, which was limited due to a shoulder injury, Timberlake decided to jump in the transfer portal and travel north to Tennessee, joining Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers. And after one season in Memphis, which was also hampered by injuries, Timberlake moves on to Bryant in the American East Conference.

At Miami, Timberlake averaged 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, along with 27.4 minutes. With Memphis, he averaged 4.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He also started in 11 of the 29 games he played in with the Tigers.

Transfer portal background information 

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and that request cannot be refused.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.

The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.

A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be  contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.