NCAA updates memo for two-time transfers ahead of basketball, spring football window

In a memo obtained by On3 on Wednesday night, the NCAA updated its previously circulated document from December providing clarity ahead of the college basketball transfer portal opening next week.

Similar to the language dispersed by the governing body two months ago, multi-time transfers who enter the portal this spring will be eligible to play at a new school in the 2024-25 year without securing a waiver. The NCAA has also updated its transfer portal website with information.

The guidance circles around a lawsuit in West Virginia against the NCAA’s transfer waiver policy. The NCAA agreed to terms on a preliminary injunction in December, which lasts through the end of the spring sports season. With no further updates at this time, the NCAA has updated its memo ahead of the college basketball portal window opening on Monday and lasting until May 1. The spring football window is scheduled from April 16 to April 30.

The theoretical question addresses athletes entering the transfer portal in the spring, summer or fall 2024.

The memo, just like the one released in December, states that “as long as the undergraduate student-athlete transfers to another Division I institution during the 2023-24 academic year, the student-athlete will not be subject to Bylaw 14.5.5.1 during the 2024-25 academic year.”

Athletes “would continue to be subject to all other existing eligibility legislation and to any eligibility standards required for competition that may be developed or modified for the 2024-25 academic year.”

NCAA facing multiple legal challenges

According to current rules, the NCAA permits underclassmen to transfer one time without having to sit out a year. If an underclassman wishes to transfer a second time, the student-athlete usually needs the NCAA to grant a waiver to compete immediately. Absent an approved waiver, the athlete has to sit out a year. 

Because of the preliminary injunction, the NCAA has installed new guidance. This isn’t the only legal challenge the governing body faces. A federal judge recently granted a preliminary injunction against the NCAA, allowing NIL collectives to openly negotiate with high school and transfer portal recruits. NCAA president Charlie Baker responded by halting investigations into third-party NIL entities.