The NCAA amended its transferring regulations earlier this year, adding further restrictions for undergraduate players who transfer multiple times.
Under the new rules, those students can only be granted immediate eligibility for medical and safety reasons.
“In August 2022, the Division I Board of Directors voted on a number of items pertaining to transfers, including parameters needed for waivers for multiple-time transfers (i.e., a second or third transfer) and directed the DI Council to more clearly define those parameters,” a statement from the NCAA sent to The Dallas Express reads.
“On January 11, the Division I Council — which includes a voting representative from each Division I conference — also voted (unanimously) to clarify the criteria for undergraduate students who transfer for a second time to be granted a waiver to play immediately,” the statement continued.
“As a result of the DI Council vote, waivers are reserved for cases in which multiple-time transfers can demonstrate and adequately document a personal need for medical or safety reasons to depart the previous school to be eligible to compete immediately following their second undergraduate transfer. As a result of the DI Council vote, national office staff, at the direction of NCAA members, have begun applying those criteria for multiple-time transfers for the 2023-24 academic year.”
The NCAA officially denied the waiver requests of two football players — Florida State defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. and North Carolina receiver Devontez Walker — who transferred to be close to home due to the health of family members. Similar requests had been approved in the past, but the organization is committed to its new policies, regardless of when the players entered the transfer portal.
Government officials from Florida and North Carolina have spoken out about the decisions, urging new NCAA president Charlie Baker to consider the message those decisions send to student-athletes across the NCAA.
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EXTRA POINTS
— Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman were named to ESPN’s “25 Most Important Players in 2023’s College Football Playoff Race.”
— The ACC held a meeting to discuss potential expansion but ran into issues around the schools under consideration.
— Texas A&M’s 12th Man Foundation is shutting down the portion of its NIL operations that promoted endorsement deals from donors. The foundation will continue to navigate name, image, and likeness through other means.
— TCU’s Josh Newton and Texas A&M’s Demani Richardson have been named to the preseason watchlist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
— Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford is on the preseason watchlist for the Butkus Award.