One Time Transfer Rule

I thought this was a permanent change. Where are you seeing mention that there will be a change to no longer allow this?

@PitchingFan posted:

I keep hearing people talk about the rule like it is a permanent thing.  It was a one time thing unless it is re-instated.  You had to be in it by July 1 of this year and you have this calendar year to use it or it is lost.   The NCAA has said they will take a look at it in the future but it is not really active anymore other than the players that are in it.  I don't think it will come back and if it does not then it will be a thing of the past.  If you have not been picked up already out of it then I think there is very little chance you will.

There is a waiver that you can apply for if you missed the July 1st deadline and those waivers are all expected to get approved. 

It is a permanent thing.  In the April 14th session, the D1 council approved the one time transfer rule as a permanent legislative change.  This was just before March Madness and the basketball players were pushing hard for player rights reform.  This was discussed here when it happened. It is a permanent change, no waiver required if the player meets the criteria.

“The Division I Council adopted NCAA Division I Proposal No. 2020-11 (Academic Eligibility – Exceptions for Transfers from Four-Year Colleges – One- Time Transfer Exception – Uniform Application), which establishes a uniform and equitable approach for student-athletes across all sports to qualify for a one-time transfer exception. The proposal is not final until the conclusion of the April 28 NCAA Division I Board of Directors meeting. Once final, the proposal would be applicable immediately to student-athletes who have not previously transferred from a four-year institution and are seeking eligibility during the 2021-22 academic year and thereafter.”

https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.c...ncil_Apr14Report.pdf

https://www.cbssports.com/coll...mediate-eligibility/

The "one-time thing" was, to the best of my knowledge, the moving of the deadline for fall/winter sports participants to July 1, not the May 1 deadline it will be starting next year. Fall/deadline will be May 1, spring will be July 1. But for this year only, all sports were July 1.

Sorry if this question/situation is horribly worded or makes no sense:

It is my understanding that in the past if a kid was not recruited by the school that they attended as a freshman (or maybe any year), attended fall practice (assuming they were able to do so as a walk-on), they could transfer to another school (generally at a lower level like D1>D2/D3) and be immediately eligible. Do you think this blanket "1 time transfer rule" wipes that out?

Here is a hypothetical example:

2021 or 2022 is recruited (plenty of conversation with staff) but not offered a spot at UNCW/UNCC/other D1 programs. Kid decides to apply as a regular student at James Madison when he learns that walk-ons are allowed to try out (they have offered/committed all of their "spots", knowing the chances are not great but has heard of kids making the team in the past as a walk on). Kid knows that JMU has a solid club team as a backup if he LOVES the school and wants to stay and play lower level ball. Kid tries out and later in fall kid is told he will not make the roster. School is ok but kid really wants to train/play competitive ball somewhere and decides to transfer to a D2 or D3. Is he potentially eligible for that spring wherever he transfers to? Is that his "One time" or is that still available to him if he develops over the next 2 seasons at D2/3 school and wants to transfer to a higher level D1 program that may want him after playing very well at his school and maybe in a Northwoods/other summer league?

Reason I am asking is that there is a group of kids that are really in a weird spot due to this Covid roster/recruiting situation with bloated rosters and stuff. Sounds weird but there are kids out there that are getting some D1 love (but no offers as of yet), feel that they are better than many who have committed (who knows if it is $ or preferred walk-on or what), and are not good candidates for going to a solid JUCO with a potentially huge roster plus a bunch of unknown P5/other D1 dropdowns on the horizon. Another reason might be that the school part of JUCO would be a major letdown from an academic standpoint. They had a HS schedule with lots of AP's and rigor.

Any thoughts from you grizzled vets looking at this new college baseball landscape?

The "this year only" part of this was in reference to the July 1st deadline for fall/winter athletes. Next year fall/winter athletes have to enter the portal before May 1st. Spring sports will continue to use July 1st. The new rule itself is as permanent as anything the NCAA does.

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligib...OneTime_Transfer.pdf

https://www.ncaa.org/about/res...transfer-legislation

https://www.ncaa.org/about/res...scuss-sustainability

@used2lurk posted:

Sorry if this question/situation is horribly worded or makes no sense:

I'll take a crack at it.

Nothing was wiped out. The old rules still apply to those not using the one-time transfer exception. NCAA will need those rules for the guys who transfer again after using their one-time exception.

Kid who went to JMU has missed the July 1st deadline, so he can't use the one-time transfer this year. If this hypothetical is happening during the 2021-2022 school year, he might be eligible for the Non-recruited Student Exception. Could he use the Non-recruited exception one year, and then the one-time exception later? Good question. I don't know the answer.

No "year in residence" required when transferring from D1 (or D2) to D3. You can play the first year, so that's more attractive than transferring from D1 to D2. That's not new.

Kid could use the one-time transfer exception when moving from D2/D3 to D1 as long as they register for the transfer portal by July 1st.

So, I am going to say the three words no man wants to admit.  I guess "I was wrong."  Every time I have read an article I reckon I assumed the July 1 date was THE date and not the date for this year.  I have tried all day to find the article I read that said it was a one time deal and would be voted on again next year after a review but I cannot find it.  So thank you for correcting me.  I WAS WRONG.

PitchingFan, I'm only speculating here, but you might have been thinking of what the NCAA did say regarding the application of the new rule for a Graduate Transfer.

At the time the proposal of the new rule was being discussed, the NCAA stated that they will need to evaluate whether the new "One-Time Transfer Exception" will also potentially apply to Graduate Transfers.  In other words, if an athlete transfers as an undergrad to a D1 baseball program, will that athlete still have the opportunity to transfer AGAIN to another D1 program as a Grad Student?

The NCAA will be reviewing the impact of the new rule to see how they might address Grad Transfers in the future.  Until and even after that point, a waiver will usually be an option for extenuating circumstances.