NCAA D1 Council recommends doing away with one-time transfer policy

The Division-I Council announced on Wednesday night that it is in favor of several recent recommendations from the Transformation Committee. On top of the 60-day transfer windows, the DI Council will recommend to the Board of Directors that the NCAA remove the rule which currently penalizes a student-athlete after their first transfer.

The rule currently requires a player to sit out a year upon a second entrance into the NCAA transfer portal. However, per the Transformation Committee’s recommendations, the Council endorses student-athletes transferring at will as long as it’s within their newly proposed windows.

According to the DI Council, their recommendations serve “to better support student-athletes, improve efficiency and timeliness with infractions process, and improve clarity for transfers.” The Board of Directors will vote to approve the recommendations next month.

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Transformation Committee proposes transfer windows

Last month, the Transformation Committee proposed three separate transfer windows. For fall sports, athletes would be able to enter the transfer portal for 45 days after championship games and from May 1-May 15. For spring sports such as softball and baseball, athletes have one 60-day window after the championship games. The new recommendation adds that entering the portal outside the window would incur a penalty of one year served in residence upon transfer.

Last summer, the NCAA granted all student-athletes a one-time penalty-free transfer that removed the sit-one requirement so long as it was their first transfer. Prior to the change, athletes had to obtain a waiver to play right away, in a process that was often criticized as too subjective.

Schools that accept transfers also accept responsibility for the athletes’ scholarship through the rest of their eligibility. The student would count against roster and financial aid limits. There are exceptions for medical disqualification, exhaustion of eligibility, transfer or professional draft entry.

DI Council intends to address infractions process

With coaches across conferences discussing the issues with the NCAA’s current infractions process, the DI Council endorsed several more recommendations.

The concepts endorsed include:

• Incentivizing parties to secure cooperation from representatives, family members and others with relevant information.
• Expanding the use of a public dashboard for all infractions.
• Reserving hearings before the Committee on Infractions for only the most significant behaviors.

The Board of Directors will also vote on these measures next month.