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Talkin' transfers
NCAA adopts rule change that removes one-year penalty for multi-time transfer. Plus, UConn, Georgetown get prizes out of the portal, and Dunphy's back for another year, but Auburn might have the biggest news of the day.
Mike Miller
April 18, 2024
It’s that time of year where it’s a regular news cycle of transfer news, NBA Draft news and coaching news. That’s why you subscribe. Appreciate it.
Let’s get to it.
1. Unlimited transfers approved (kinda)
More than 1,600 men’s college basketball players have entered the transfer portal since it opened on March 17. It closes for undergraduates on May 1.
A rough estimate means that about 35%-40% of players are in the portal.
Get used to it. The NCAA D-I Council approved changes to transfer rules on Wednesday that will allow undergraduates to transfer and play immediately regardless of how many times they’ve previously transferred.
Council changes transfer rules, permits immediate eligibility for transfers who are academically eligible/in good standing at prev. school & meet progress-toward-degree requirements at new school.
Decision not final until meeting ends Thurs, must be ratified by DI Board Monday.
— NCAA News (@NCAA_PR)
7:04 PM • Apr 17, 2024
Further, the new rules stipulate that “academic requirements will replace previous year-in-residence requirement for student-athletes transferring more than once as undergraduates.” Keep your grades up, and you’re eligible. This also covers anyone who transferred during the 2023-24 academic year.
The decision needs to ratified by the NCAA’s executive board on Monday, but that’s expected to be a formality. The rule also won’t limit the number of times an athlete can transfer — there are still two transfer windows for undergrads — and they do have to maintain progress toward a degree.
This all stems from a lawsuit that argues the NCAA’s previous transfer bylaw — there was a one-time transfer allowance; after that, an athlete had to sit for a year — was a violation of U.S. antitrust law. When the U.S. Department of Justice joined the suit in January, this new rule became a formality.
The D-I Council also adopted rules that allows schools to assist athletes with NIL opportunities. Athletes aren’t obligated to accept school assistance, and the NCAA did say that pay-for-play is still against the rules. So, uh, yeah.
Anyway, about the transfer window …
2. Two big Big East additions + more transfers
How do you replace Donovan Clingan? You don’t. There’s no replacing a 7-2 big man who blocks 13% of opponents shots while he’s on the court. (Or more, if you’re Illinois.)