Now that most Spring sport seasons have concluded, many coaching changes will be taking place.
For Division I athletes, a change in head coach may result in a change to an athlete’s scholarship situation – even in a situation where your athlete has a four-year “guaranteed” scholarship that can’t be reduced for athletic or medical reasons.
When a Division I university hires a new head coach, he or she may tell athletes currently on the team that they can continue attending their university until they graduate, but they won’t be allowed to play for or even be a member of that team in their remaining years.
This rule was originally intended to benefit athletes who were near the completion of their degree and were more interested in staying at their university to graduate than if they were to instead transfer to continue playing if a new coach were to cut them from the team.
However, we are seeing some newly hired head coaches use this rule against even freshman athletes who may have redshirted during their first year. In that case, many athletes will choose to transfer rather than give up their goal of playing at their current school in order to complete their degree.
Do you Need Advice?
If your athlete has been put in this situation and would like to discuss the options that they can consider to be fully informed and not make a rash decision, schedule a confidential Scholarship Strategies Consult online, contact us via e-mail at rick@informedathlete.com or call our office at 913-766-1235.