Darius Smith
MC301 Contributor
Is the NCAA ready for the free agency frenzy? The new transfer rule might be getting ready to introduce exactly that.
The NCAA is proposing a new transfer rule that could shake up the college sports scene. The new rule would allow athletes to transfer once and be able to play immediately. The transfer portal has become immensely more popular in the past years especially when it comes to college football as well as college basketball. The new rule will, no doubt, make transferring even more prevalent and easy.
The transfer rule that is in effect now makes the athletes sit out a year after they transfer schools. The push for the new rule change came from so many athletes requesting waivers for the NCAA to become immediately eligible for competition right after transferring schools as well as the backlash the association was receiving because of the current restrictions.
Many members on the board agree that there are problems and flaws in the old system and have optimistic views about the new proposal.
According to an article on NCAA.org, Jon Steinbrecher, commissioner of the Mid-American Conference said, “The current system is unsustainable. Working group members believe it’s time to bring our transfer rules more in line with today’s college landscape. This concept provides a uniform approach that is understandable, predictable and objective. Most importantly, it benefits students.”
Even though the new rule covers all athletes the most impacted will most definitely be football and basketball. Like it was mentioned earlier, the transfer portal has almost become a new form of free agency in college sports. Many players find themselves unhappy in a role they are playing and decide to transfer to a better position. In the past few years the number of athletes that decide to transfer have grown and so has the request for immediate eligibility.
Many coaches have opinions on what the new rule would do to their programs as a whole as well as the rosters they have to manage. According to ESPN, Nick Saban, head football coach at the University of Alabama, worries about the impact the transfer rule will have.
“I don’t know how you manage a roster when this goes into effect. I can’t manage our roster now. Last year, we had eight seniors on our team. We had seven guys go out for the draft and three graduate transfers or guys that ended up transferring. So instead of having 18 seniors, you’ve got eight. You really have a three-year program at a place like this. I’m not necessarily saying it’s going to hurt our program because we’ll do a hell of a job recruiting players leaving other places to come here. But is that good for college football?” said Saban in the article.
One the other hand, players like the idea of the freedom the new rule can create. Myles Hinton, a 2020 offensive lineman recruit, is pushing for the new rule to pass.
“I believe it is a good idea to change the rule. All of us are in our teens and are expected to make a decision that will affect the rest of our lives and not mess up. This doesn’t reflect how I feel about my decision, but I know kids who are unhappy with where they’re at and I think it is unfair for them to be stuck there,” said Hinton in the ESPN article.
Even though there are many different opinions on the new rule and the effects it will bring with it, the deal is almost done.
Many experts believe the rule could go into effect as early as the 2020-21 academic year. With big names like Justin Fields and Jalen Hurts transferring from one five star program to another, it is safe to say that when the new rule goes into effect, the dawn of college free agency will begin.
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