In a step forward for college student athletes, the NCAA recently announced that changes will be made to their transfer and redshirt rules. College football has seen a growing number of student transfers, with many athletes transferring at least once in a 5-year period. Previous rules made this process limiting for students, discouraging them from transferring between schools.

What’s Changed?

Known as “redshirt rules,” the NCAA imposed a waiting period of 1 academic year in which a student athlete was required to sit out from games after transferring between schools. Players could practice with their new team, but were prohibited from playing in games. The new rules eliminate this limitation, creating more freedom and possibility for players and allowing them to take more control over their academic careers. Students no longer have to wait for permission to transfer between colleges.

Although there were some exceptions, the previous rules were severely limiting to players and in many cases forced them to decide between athletics and their education. Student athletes who wanted to transfer also risked losing their NCAA eligibility, which requires them to play at least 4 seasons out of a 5-year span. Any injury or other circumstance that would force players to lose additional time would have eliminated their ability to transfer if they wanted to.

An additional rule updates this eligibility process, allowing players to maintain their eligibility if they play at least 4 games in a season.

These rule changes have been considered a big win for both student athletes and coaches. The changes went into effect in mid-June 2018.

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