NCAA changes transfer portal rules for players entering portal a 2nd time

More change is coming to the college football transfer portal

The transfer portal has forever changed college football and how schools create their rosters, and now the NCAA has brought in another new change.

While players going into the portal for the first time will still be able to get immediate eligibility at their next school, the NCAA is trying to stop players from entering the transfer portal multiple times.

What's new: The NCAA Division I Council approved legislation to limit waivers for second-time transfer players. Now, any undergraduates who transfer a second time, or any other time after that, must meet specific guidelines in order to be eligible for immediate playing time starting with the 2023-24 season or risk sitting out a year between transfers.

With exceptions: Under the new rule, players can still get immediate eligibility at their next school if they are transferring due to a physical injury or mental health concern.

Exigent circumstances: And the NCAA will also consider "exigent circumstances" like abuse or sexual assault, but will not consider academic or athletic reasons, like being unsatisfied with playing time on their team.

In recent years, the NCAA has granted waivers for immediate eligibility for football, basketball, and baseball transfers, but will now recommend against that for players who have transferred once during their college careers.

Why the change: The NCAA wants to rein in the number of players using the transfer portal, a figure that has exceeded 2,000 just in the first transfer window after the 2022 college football season. Of those, at least 120 are quarterbacks.

The rule in action: As an example, this new rule would have affected the career trajectory of quarterback JT Daniels. The former 5-star played at USC (2018-19) then at Georgia (2020-21) and then West Virginia (2022) before moving to Rice. Had this rule been in place, Daniels would have needed to graduate between each of his other two transfers or sit out and use up a year of eligibility.

Undergrads only: The new rule applies only to undergraduates and not graduates, who are still eligible to play immediately should they transfer.

(NCAA)

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