2023-24 Fall Transfers ‘Immediately Eligible’ to Play Next Season
According to a memo from the NCAA that was sent on Thursday, football players who enter the transfer portal this fall will be immediately eligible to play at their new school next season, even if they are transferring for a second time or more.
Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger has obtained a clarification of transfer rules from the NCAA that paves the way for multi-time transfer, in football and other sports, to be eligible to play at their new school *next year* without a waiver.
This clarification comes after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the NCAA that prevents the entity from enforcing their current transfer rules. What was originally a 14-day TRO has now been converted to a preliminary injunction, meaning that it will remain in effect for the remainder of the 2023-24 NCAA Championship seasons.
A permanent injunction is set for Wednesday, December 27, bit until then all players who enter the transfer portal, or have been held from playing due to two-time transfer rules, are immediately eligible to play.
In the guidance obtained by Yahoo Sports, the NCAA addresses the question of eligibility directly, which originates from Bylaw 14.5.5.1
Question No. 3: Does the preliminary injunction enjoin the NCAA from enforcing Bylaw 14.5.5.1, as it relates to an undergraduate fall-sport student-athlete who transfers midyear (spring 2024), seeking confirmation of the student-athlete’s participation opportunity for the fall 2024 season?
Answer: It is not certain at this time whether the preliminary injunction will remain in effect during the 2024-25 season; however, as long as the undergraduate student-athlete transfers to another Division I institution during the 2023-24 academic year, the student-athlete will not be subject to Bylaw 14.5.5.1 during the 2024-25 academic year. The student-athlete would still be subject to any academic eligibility standards required for competition that may be developed or modified for the 2024-25 academic year.
The NCAA guidance does clarify that transfers would be subject to “any academic eligibility standards required for competition that may be developed or modified for the 2024-25 academic year.”
This is a major rule change that will drastically affect rosters across many sports in 2024, giving players the opportunity to change schools a second, or even a third time without the punishment of sitting out for a season.
