NCAA approves rule changes to allow transfers immediate eligibility

LSU football has had eight players enter the transfer portal this offseason. PHOTO BY: Michael Bacigalupi

The Division I Council approved emergency legislation on Wednesday that will allow all undergraduate athletes to transfer and play immediately regardless of whether they have transferred before.

The decision isn’t official until the meeting ends later today and still needs to be formally approved by the NCAA’s executive board on Monday.

The rules had previously allowed athletes to play immediately after their first transfer but forced them to sit out a year if they transferred again. The rule will apply to any players that transferred during the 2023-24 academic year, including any players that entered the football transfer portal when it opened on Tuesday.

“With these rule changes, NCAA members continue to prioritize long-term academic success for college athletes who transfer, while supporting their opportunity to compete immediately,” said Lynda Tealer, deputy athletics director at Florida and chair of the council. “We hope that this practical approach to transfer eligibility requirements will encourage student-athletes to make well-informed decisions about transferring and the impacts such a move could have on their ability to graduate on time in their degree of choice, particularly as it relates to transferable credits.”

Players are still only permitted to transfer during the two transfer windows and mid-season transfers will not be eligible to play for a different team in the same season.

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