Reports are surfacing that a long-standing rule forcing transfer students to sit out one year of NCAA eligibility may change. While there are certainly some positives, there are some significant negatives to this ruling change for the Washington Huskies
Transfer students have long been a point of contention in NCAA eligibility. Until now, student athletes who elect to transfer schools must wait a year before they become eligible to participate in NCAA athletics. But that may change soon. And that has a significant impact on both the positive and negative aspect of NCAA sports programs.
I spoke w/ an NCAA official this week who was “95% certain” transfers will soon be allowed to play immediately in basketball & football. Could be a one-time freebie, plus grad transfer option. So in theory, a student-athlete could play for three different schools w/o sitting out.
— Matt Schick (@ESPN_Schick) January 17, 2018
The good, the bad, and the unpleasant to look at
So how can something be both good and bad? It’s all a matter of perspective. You see, it’s not that it is a bad thing per se. But without some element of governance, the results of timing the transfer could be utter chaos.
Spoke to a HC of a mid-major basketball program who says it will lead to greater roster instability year-to-year. Top players & end-of-bench players will be more willing to look elsewhere before graduating.
— Matt Schick (@ESPN_Schick) January 17, 2018
As @mitchsherman says - not up for vote yet, but something to monitor.
And the impact will be devastating to a roster from either the marquis players or the players who fill in minutes who believe they deserve more playing time. Imagine a coach scheming plays to feature a player who decides to bolt elsewhere? Now imagine a roster which loses 40 percent of their players to other team over the span of a month due to playing time. How can any college coach or program absorb that level of exodus? The possible scenarios give pause to what appears to be a slam dunk passage
Ways this impacts Washington
Of course, we would be doing you a disservice if we did not reel this into meaningful ways this impacts the Washington Huskies. So let’s have at it. We have two recent stories which may have dramatically different outcomes had this rule been in place already, and it focuses on the quarterback position: K.J. Carta-Samuels and Jacob Eason.
Washington quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels is transfering to play his final season of NCAA eligibility elsewhere, and that is certainly understandable. But that narrative would be far different if he had the opportunity to play instantly upon transferring. While Carta-Samuels came into games as spot relief of already-decided-contests, he did afford Browning the opportunity to avoid late-game injury. Under this new rule (upon ratification), Carta-Samuels likely transfers before the 2017 season, and forces the Huskies to scramble to fill the quarterback depth chart.
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Likewise, the reported incoming transfer of former Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason becomes a 2018 competitor for the Washington Huskies. Does he come to Washington if he can play immediately? Would he alternately look for assurances to start before making a final decision? As most decisions, there are always two sides to the equation. And as such, the final rule is not yet determined. But this has plusses and minuses for the Huskies. And that makes it worth monitoring going forward.