NCAA Reportedly May Vote to Let Division I Transfers Be Eligible Immediately

The NCAA reportedly may make it easier for all student-athletes to change schools.

247Sports' Andrew Slater reported the Division I Transfer Working Group is considering a proposal to eliminate the rule forcing student-athletes to sit out a year when they transfer. Student-athletes who transfer would have to meet a GPA requirement in order to be eligible immediately.

Perhaps just as important as the elimination of the one-year waiting period would be giving schools less power to block a student-athlete's prospective transfer.

Kansas State Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder drew criticism in the summer when he blocked Corey Sutton's transfer from the school before ultimately relenting and allowing Sutton to leave. 

The Transfer Working Group posted a list on the NCAA's official website of additional transfer changes it's considering, and "permission to contact" is chief among them. The proposal would allow student-athletes to speak with coaches from another school without seeking approval to do so from their current university. Currently, schools can deny permission for student-athletes to discuss transfer opportunities with other programs.

According to Slater, the group has to finalize its proposal by Nov. 1. The new transfer rule could face a vote in April and if passed, would go into effect as early as the 2018-19 school year.

The benefits to a new transfer rule are obvious. Student-athletes would have far more freedom to pursue better opportunities, whether for sporting or academic reasons. It would be no different than a head coach parlaying a successful season into a lucrative contract at a more prestigious program.

That freedom of movement could come at a cost, though. Schools outside of the Group of Five conferences could be at risk of losing one of their top players. It also could open the door for coaches attempting to poach players from other teams.