Allowing Transfers Or Not Throughout College Sports

Even with the crazy year we are all experiencing, to distract ourselves, we need to talk about college sports. With a pandemic fully in swing across the world, it has been hard for college athletics to stay afloat. But, one of the bigger questions in the world of the NCAA is how they should handle transfers and eligibility. With the Big-10 back in the fold for college football, some of the old conversation about eligibility and transfers may go by the way side. Yet, there still needs to be a serious conversation.

Originally, there was conversation that athletes would maintain an extra year if they did not play this season. But, with 4 out of the 5 of the Power Five schools back to playing college football, this might just work out for Pac-12 players and other mid-major conferences.

Another pressing question has to do with transfers. If an athlete is playing for a school that will not have a season, can they transfer this year and play immediately somewhere else? Or can the athlete transfer, sit out a year, and not lose a year of eligibility in the process? These are hard questions that the NCAA has to maneuver.

When speaking about eligibility, schools may want to keep players around, but what about the new crop of freshmen athletes coming in 2021? There will not be enough scholarships for everyone. This means that older, but not as talented athletes may get shafted in the process. Unfair, but this is the reality of college sports.

On the other hand, eligibility rules may change an even more polarizing college landscape that already sees double digit percentages of athletes transferring every year for a better situation. Only time will tell what the pandemic will do to change college athletics altogether. Hold onto your hat; things might get a little dicey.