NCAA Wrong Again, No One Time Transfer Waivers Coming Now

The NCAA had two issues on their plate this week and as per usual, they got half the meal right while totally ruining the other course.

What's up with the NCAA? 

Just when you think they are beginning to soften and do the right things for student-athletes with the announcement that they are ready to allow student-athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness, they revert to being the "heal" we've all come to know and expect. 

Along with the NIL (name, image, likeness) legislation proposed by the NCAA, the group also took up the potential of allowing student-athletes a one-time transfer to another school without suffering penalty. As you know, the current transfer rule forces a student-athlete transferring from one school to another within Division-I to sit out one year before regaining eligibility. 

The new proposal would have eliminated the one-year penalty by allowing a one-time transfer provided the student-athlete qualified under the new eligibility rules for transfer. 

According to the proposal, there are four categories a transferring student-athlete must satisfy to be eligible to compete at his or her new school immediately.

1) The transferring student-athlete must receive a release from their current school.

2) The transferring student-athlete must be academically eligible to from their previous institution.

3) The transferring student-athlete must maintain that academic eligibility at their new institution before the start of their athletic season.

4) The transferring student-athlete may not be under any academic or university suspensions at the time of transfer to be allowed eligibility. 

5) The transferring student-athlete will be allowed to transfer once in his or her four years of eligibility without penalty. A second transfer other than as a graduate transfer would mean sitting out one season, as is the current rule. 

Wouldn't you know it, as of Wednesday, the NCAA has now "tabled" that proposal, saying alterations to the NCAA's waiver process are "not appropriate at this time," per release on Wednesday.

How does this impact Vanderbilt?

Issac McBride, who has committed to the Commodores as a transfer student from Kansas, will now likely need a waiver from the NCAA to be eligible to play, even though he sat out last season, but did not enroll at Vanderbilt.

 According to current rules, transfers must register with their new school and then site a season, leaving McBride's eligibility for 2020-21 in a potentially precarious position with the NCAA. 

So once again, the NCAA had failed to do the right thing for student-athletes when they had the opportunity. Hopefully, they will revisit this very soon and get it right because it's time to fix this issue for the good of all involved. 

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