More buzz the NCAA will grant transfers immediate eligibility

If this new report is correct, student athletes will soon become free agents.

An NCAA official tells ESPN’s Matt Schick they are “95% certain” the organization will begin granting transfers immediate eligibility in basketball and football, meaning that athletes will be able to move from one school to another without having to sit out a season:

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

There are a lot of ways to look at this. On one hand, it’s the fairest option for the players; however, with transfers already at an all-time high in both sports, it will lead to massive roster turnover year after year, which will inevitably hurt smaller programs more than larger ones and likely lead to even more corruption in the sport.

How does the NCAA plan to regulate the chaos? Over the weekend, Jon Rothstein reported that the proposal includes a “one-time freebie” caveat that would only allow players with a 2.7 or 2.8 GPA or higher to transfer without sitting out a year. That’s a good start, but a free market in college sports would still be madness.

The proposal is only up for discussion at the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis this afternoon, so it won’t be voted on; regardless, the debate rages on. Thoughts?

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