The NCAA continues to undergo more changes regarding the transfer portal, player compensation, and conference realignment heading into the 2024 football season. In 2021, player compensation through name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals became legalized, offering amateur athletes under the NCAA umbrella an opportunity to make money while playing their respective sports.
Paired with more liberal rules regarding the transfer portal, the NCAA has begun to operate with somewhat of a free agency aspect, with the best schools with the most money having the edge in landing top players. However, a vital element of the NCAA’s recent changes is the impact of a recent Justice Department declaration on Thursday, which states that universities cannot infringe on college players’ ability to transfer.
In layperson’s terms, while waiting for approval, the legal body for college athletics can no longer enforce penalties for players who transfer schools, regardless of who and when. Under the old rules, college athletes would need to sit out a year for transferring unless they were undergraduate graduates. However, earlier this season, the portal’s rules and regulations became looser, with one-time transfers earning immediate eligibility over the past few seasons. Additionally, two-time transfers became eligible last season after the NCAA denied eligibility to West Virginia basketball player RaeQuan Battle, formerly of Washington and Montana State.
NCAA: Potential Unlimited Transfer Rule
If the court approves, the Justice Department will ban the National College Athletic Association from enforcing its Transfer Portal Rule, giving college athletes free rein to transfer schools without penalty. According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, “On Jan 18, the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division joined a civil lawsuit under the Sherman Act against the NCAA to end the (its) Transfer Eligibility Rule.” The Justice Department claims the Transfer Eligibility Rule is “anti-competitive” and a restriction on athletes looking for a school that provides a better education and athletic opportunity.
This was expected, to be clear. The NCAA changed its transfer rules last month https://t.co/4vgRFAWwyw
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) May 30, 2024
The Justice Department also wants the NCAA to provide an extra year of eligibility to current players deemed ineligible for transferring during previous seasons. However, the governing body for college athletics will be unable to adapt or create new rules limiting the eligibility of transfers.
College Football Transfer Portal: Unprecedented Entries in 2024
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) of the scarlet team throws a pass to running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) during the first half of the LifeSports spring football game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday. Ohio State landed three of the top transfers during the 2024 offseason.
At the end of the transfer portal’s spring window, 3,843 FBS players filed paperwork to transfer, breaking last year’s record and setting a new high. Notably, many of the top football programs in the country shuffled in new quarterbacks, including the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Miami Hurricanes, and the Florida State Seminoles.
In addition to snagging quarterback Will Howard from Kansas State, the Buckeyes also landed former Alabama superstar safety Caleb Downs. Meanwhile, they also grabbed 1,000-yard rusher Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss, proving the portal has become the quickest way to reload and reset for a College Football Playoff run.
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